Method of fabricating a biosensor

• US 20070117243A1
• Filed: 11/22/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharma, Manish
• Granted Patent: US 7,741,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/49
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/06 Bio-MEMS
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00063 Trenches
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2201/0133 Wet etching
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2201/0153 Imprinting techniques not provided for in B81C2201/0152

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of fabricating a biosensor. The method includes providing a substrate which has a surface coating. The surface coating is deformable and the substrate includes a layered structure which has at least two electrically conductive layers separated by at least one electrically insulating layer. The method also includes imprinting a structure into the surface coating. Further, the method includes etching at least a region of the imprinted structure and the substrate to remove at least a portion of the structure and the substrate. The structure is shaped so that the etching forms at least a portion of the biosensor in the substrate and exposes at least a portion of each electrically conductive layer to form electrodes of the biosensor.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a biosensor, the method comprising:

providing a substrate with a surface coating, the surface coating being deformable and the substrate comprising a layered structure, the layered structure comprising at least two electrically conductive layers separated by at least one electrically insulating layer;

imprinting a structure into the surface coating;

etching at least a region of the imprinted structure and the substrate to remove at least a portion of the structure and the substrate;

wherein the structure is shaped so that the etching forms at least a portion of the biosensor in the substrate and exposes at least a portion of each electrically conductive layer to form electrodes of the biosensor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the structure is shaped so that the etching forms one of a well, a channel or a projection.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the biosensor comprises a recess that has side portions and the structure is shaped so that the etching exposes at least one of the electrically conductive layers at least one of the side portions of the recess.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the biosensor comprises a recess that has a floor portion and the structure is shaped so that the etching exposes at least one of the electrically conductive layers at a floor portion of the recess.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the layered structure comprises more than two electrically conductive, the electrically conductive layers being separated by electrically insulating layers and spaced apart by a distance that is selected so that etching exposes at least a portion of each electrically conductive layer to form electrodes that are disposed at a predetermined distance from each other.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the layered structure comprises more the 10 electrically conductive layers separated by electrically insulating layers and the etching exposes at least a portion of each electrically conductive layer.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the thickness of the layers of the layered structure is selected so that the etching exposes at least a portion of each electrically conductive layer to form electrodes and adjacent electrodes are separated by a distance of less the 100 nm from each other.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein:

the adjacent electrodes are separated by a distance of less than distance less than 10 nm.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein:

the adjacent electrodes are separated by a distance of less than distance less than 5 nm.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein:

providing the substrate comprises forming the layered structure on a base material and coating an exposed layer with the deformable material.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the base material is a flexible material.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the base material comprises a polymeric material.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the deformable surface coating comprises a polymeric material.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the shape of the structure is selected so that the etching forms the biosensor in the substrate and the etching removes the entire imprinted structure.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the shape of the imprinted structure is selected so that the etching forms a portion of the biosensor in the substrate and the etching removes a portion of the imprinted structure.

16. A biosensor fabricated by the method of claim 1.