SBIR Phase I: Microfabricated Silicon Devices for Low Cost Microarray

0214480 Haushalter这个小企业创新研究项目提出使用硅微加工技术来生产新的硅点针，将用于制备微阵列。微阵列技术已迅速扩展到生物学研究的许多不同领域。这些阵列的大部分制备是通过使用高精度金属定位针的直接接触印刷来完成的，这些定位针是单独加工的，每个成本高达400美元。使用简单的硅微加工技术，该公司已经准备了原型硅点样针，持有人和转移装置的微阵列的制备，其性能特性预计将远远超过目前的最先进的设备。硅定位销优于机加工金属部件的优点包括尺寸公差高10-100倍，重量小于1%（较轻的压力产生更均匀的点）、尖端硬度、化学改性针的SiO2表面以控制润湿和液体吸收/释放的能力、阵列中更高的针密度（微阵列中更高的点密度）、更精确的体积摄取到针中、更低的表面摩擦（在保持器中易于滑动）、尖端对弯曲损伤的抵抗力以及制造传统机器车间制造所不能获得的复杂特征的能力。由于这些零件将大量生产，估计每根针的成本将降低100至1000倍。

0214480HaushalterThis Small Business Innovation Research Project proposes to use silicon microfabrication techniques to produce new silicon spotting pins that will be used for the preparation of microarrays. Microarray technology has rapidly spread into many diverse areas of biological research. The preparation of a large portion of these arrays is accomplished by direct contact printing using high precision metal spotting pins, which are individually machined at costs up to $400 each. Using straightforward silicon microfabrication techniques,this company has prepared prototype silicon spotting pins, holders and transfer devices for the preparation of microarrays whose performance characteristics are expected to far exceed those of current state-of-the-art devices. Advantages of silicon spotting pins over machined metal components include 10-100 fold higher dimensional tolerances, less than 1% of the weight (lighter pressure gives more uniform spots), tip hardness, the ability to chemically modify the SiO2 surface of the pins to control wetting and liquid uptake/release, higher pin density in array (higher spot density in microarray), more precise volumetric uptake into pin, lower surface friction (ease of sliding movement in holder), resistance of tip to bending damage and the ability to fabricate complex features not obtainable by traditional machine shop fabrication. Since the parts will be mass produced, it is estimated that a hundred to a thousand fold reduction in cost per pin would result.The commercial applications of this project are in the area of DNA microarrays.