Degradation of silicon photonic biosensors in cell culture media: analysis and prevention.
Degradation of silicon photonic biosensors in cell culture media: analysis and prevention.
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DOI：
10.1364/boe.8.002924
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发表时间：
2017-06-01
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
Krauss TF
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Triggs GJ;Evans GJO;Krauss TF
硅光子生物传感器由于其联合收割机的高性能和低成本大规模生产的潜力而被广泛研究。传感通常在水性环境中进行，并且假定传感器是化学稳定的，因为已知硅在强碱性溶液中蚀刻，但在pH接近7的液体中不蚀刻。在这里，我们表明硅可以受到典型细胞培养基的强烈影响，并且我们观察到高达2 nm/小时的蚀刻速率。然后，我们证明了非常薄（< 10 nm）的热氧化物层足以抑制蚀刻过程，并提供长时间监测细胞和相关生物过程所需的长期稳定性。我们还表明，在培养基中采用额外的pH缓冲化合物可以显着降低蚀刻速率。
Silicon photonic biosensors are being widely researched as they combine high performance with the potential for low-cost mass-manufacturing. Sensing is typically performed in an aqueous environment and it is assumed that the sensor is chemically stable, as silicon is known to etch in strong alkaline solutions but not in liquids with a pH close to 7. Here, we show that silicon can be affected surprisingly strongly by typical cell culture media, and we observe etch rates of up to 2 nm/hour. We then demonstrate that a very thin (< 10 nm) layer of thermal oxide is sufficient to suppress the etching process and provide the long-term stability required for monitoring cells and related biological processes over extended periods of time. We also show that employing an additional pH buffering compound in the culture medium can significantly reduce the etch rate.