US Patent 7479404 - Nanoporous photonic crystal biosensor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7479404.html

This patent from the University of Illinois teaches a cheaper method of manufacturing high sensitivity protein sensors based on nanoporous films. Claim 16 reads:

16. A method of making a sensor comprising:

(a) curing a layer of nanoporous material having a low refractive index onto a substrate;

(b) depositing a high dielectric constant dielectric material on top of the nanoporous material; and

(c) patterning the high dielectric constant dielectric material into a sub-wavelength period grating structure.