Writing and reading methodology for biochips with sub-100-nm chemical patterns based on near-field scanning optical microscopy

Anal Sci. 2008 May;24(5):571-6. doi: 10.2116/analsci.24.571.

Abstract

This paper demonstrates a writing and reading methodology, which allows both to create and to detect sub-100-nm carboxyl-terminated patterns on light-transmissive quartz substrates by the same instrumental system. Such a technique, capable of creating carboxyl-terminated nanopatterns, offers several benefits for the miniaturization of biochips, since the carboxyl-terminated nanopatterns allow the easy immobilization of biomolecules by amide bond formation. As a consequence, increasingly miniaturized biochips require suitable analytical methods for the detection of nanopatterns. In our approach, carboxyl-terminated nanopatterns of down to 80 nm width were created using a photolabile silane coupling agent and a UV laser coupled to a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM). The same NSOM system was then used in a next step to detect the fabricated carboxyl-terminated nanopatterns after modification with a fluorescent label. Furthermore, as a first step towards biochip applications, the successful immobilization of several biomolecules, such as streptavidin, IgG and DNA on carboxyl-terminated nanopatterns was demonstrated. We have shown that our approach has the potential to lead to a new bioanalytical method, which enables one to write and to read biochips on a sub-100-nm scale by the same system.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*
  • Microchip Analytical Procedures / methods*
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Microscopy, Scanning Probe / instrumentation*
  • Microscopy, Scanning Probe / methods*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / ultrastructure
  • Quartz
  • Spectrum Analysis
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Quartz