Compositions and methods involving direct write optical lithography
First Claim
1. A method for deprotecting reaction sites on a substrate comprising the steps of:
- providing a substrate having protected reaction sites;
modulating light direction with a spatial light modulator so as to generate a predetermined light pattern used for deprotecting selected portions of said protected reaction sites.
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Abstract
An improved optical photolithography system and method provides predetermined light patterns generated by a direct write system without the use of photomasks. The Direct Write System provides predetermined light patterns projected on the surface of a substrate (e.g., a wafer) by using a computer controlled means for dynamically generating the predetermined light pattern, e.g., a spatial light modulator. Image patterns are stored in a computer and through electronic control of the spatial light modulator directly illuminate the wafer to define a portion of the polymer array, rather than being defined by a pattern on a photomask. Thus, in the Direct Write System each pixel is illuminated with an optical beam of suitable intensity and the imaging (printing) of an individual feature is determined by computer control of the spatial light modulator at each photolithographic step without the use of a photomask. The Direct Write System including a spatial light modulator is particularly useful in the synthesis of DNA arrays and provides an efficient means for polymer array synthesis by using spatial light modulators to generate a predetermined light pattern that defines the image patterns of a polymer array to be deprotected.
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Citations
60 Claims
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1. A method for deprotecting reaction sites on a substrate comprising the steps of:
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providing a substrate having protected reaction sites;
modulating light direction with a spatial light modulator so as to generate a predetermined light pattern used for deprotecting selected portions of said protected reaction sites.
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2-36. -36. (canceled)
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37. An apparatus for constructing DNA probes comprising:
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(a) a reactor providing a reaction site at which nucleotide addition reactions may be conducted;
(b) a light source providing a light capable of promoting nucleotide addition reactions;
(c) a set of electronically addressable micromirrors positioned along an optical path between the light source and the reactor to receive and reflect the light, the micromirrors separated by lanes having lane widths; and
(d) projection optics positioned along the optical path between the reaction site and the image generator to focus an image of the lanes on the reaction site;
wherein the resolution of the projection optics expressed as a separation distance between resolvable line pairs is greater than half the lane width. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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Specification