MEMS Biosensor Array for Biochemical and Clinical Diagnostics

量热法是分析生化反应的一种非常通用和有效的研究工具，它能够提供连续的生化反应定量分析，并且具有特殊的操作稳定性。作为时间或反应物浓度的函数连续跟踪生化反应进展的能力具有许多具有深远影响的研究和临床应用。然而，热法生物分析主要受到高成本、慢响应时间和设备繁琐性质的阻碍。为了解决这些限制，提出了一种新型的热量生物传感器，该传感器将基于聚合物的微反应室集成在MEMS薄膜独立微热电堆传感器上。热电堆将在一个独立的微机械结构上制造，如悬臂，冷结放置在硅芯片的主体（边缘）上，热结放置在独立结构上。基于聚合物的反应室将集成在热电堆热结的正上方。边缘大的热质量和良好的导热性使冷结保持在室温，而无约束的悬臂顶端由于反应热会升高温度。用特定的固定化酶涂覆热结将通过只催化相应分析物的反应提供选择性。该传感器还将用于精确测量反应物的比热和热扩散系数。这些热性能的实时监测将为分析生化反应的进展提供一个独立的工具。

Calorimetry is a very versatile and effective investigative tool for analyzing biochemical reactions and is capable of providing continuous quantitative assays of biochemical reactions with exceptional operational stability. The ability to follow the progress of a biochemical reaction continuously as a function of time or reactant concentration has many research and clinical applications with far reaching consequences. However, calorimetric bioanalysis has been mostly hampered by the high cost, slow response times and cumbersome nature of the equipment. To address these limitations, a novel calorimetric biosensor is proposed by integrating a polymer based micro-reaction chamber on a MEMS thin film freestanding microthermopile sensor. The thermopile will be fabricated on a freestanding micromechanical structure such as a cantilever with the cold junctions placed on the bulk of the silicon chip (the rim) and the hot junctions on the freestanding structure. A polymer-based reaction chamber will be integrated right above the hot junctions of the thermopile. The large thermal mass and good thermal conductivity of the rim keeps the cold junctions at room temperature whereas the unconstrained cantilever tip will rise in temperature due to the heat of reaction. Coating the hot junctions with specific immobilized enzymes will provide selectivity by catalyzing only the reaction of the corresponding analyte. The sensor will also be used for the accurate measurement of the specific heat and thermal diffusivity of the reactants. Real-time monitoring of these thermal properties will provide with an independent tool for analyzing the progress of the biochemical reaction.