INTERDIGITATED ARRAY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

• US 20140367255A1
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Samproni, Jennifer A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,791,400 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 204/403.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/127 comprising nanoparticles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/327 Biochemical electrodes , e.g. electrical or mechanical details for in vitro measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3276 being a hybridisation with immobilised receptors using a FET type sensor G01N27/4145; concerning the hybridisation C12Q1/68
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3278 involving nanosized elements, e.g. nanogaps or nanoparticles nanopores G01N33/48721; magnetic beads G01N27/745
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/321 by conductive adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base

Abstract

An automated feed manufacturing product is disclosed. The automated feed manufacturing product is provided with a flexible substrate having a plurality of card zones with the card zones defining sensing areas with sensor units formed within the sensing areas. The sensor units have a first electrode having first fingers, and a second electrode having second fingers and with the first fingers interleaved with the second fingers and with the first fingers spaced away from the second fingers. The sensor units also comprising biomolecule receptors on the flexible web between the first electrode and the second electrode such that a physical property of the first electrode relative to the second electrode is effected upon one or more of the biomolecule receptors binding to a biomolecule. The automated feed manufacturing product can be formed as a continuous web, or discrete sheets formed using a sheet feeder that picks up and processes the discrete sheets.

Claims

1. An automated feed manufacturing product, comprising:

a flexible substrate having a plurality of card zones with the card zones defining sensing areas with sensor units formed within the sensing areas, the sensor units having a first electrode having first fingers, and a second electrode having second fingers and with the first fingers interleaved with the second fingers and with the first fingers spaced away from the second fingers, the sensor units also comprising biomolecule receptors on the web between the first electrode and the second electrode such that a physical property of the first electrode relative to the second electrode is effected upon one or more of the biomolecule receptors binding to a biomolecule.

2. The automated feed manufacturing product of claim 1, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are formed of particles deposited with conductive ink.

3. The automated feed manufacturing product of claim 2, wherein the conductive ink is comprised of a carrier and a conductive material, and wherein the conductive material is selected from a group consisting of nanoparticle aluminum, nanoparticle gold, nanoparticle silver, nanoparticle copper, carbon nanotubes, nanoparticle graphene, and nanoparticle platinum.

4. The automated feed manufacturing product of claim 1, wherein the first fingers are spaced a distance from the second fingers between 1 micron and 20 microns.

5. The automated feed manufacturing product of claim 4, wherein the first fingers and the second fingers have a thickness between 20 and 750 nanometers.

6. The automated feed manufacturing product of claim 1, wherein the flexible web is constructed of a material selected from a group consisting of paper or plastic, including polyimide, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, and combinations thereof.

7. The automated feed manufacturing product of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate is a flexible web.

8. A method of making a sensor card, comprising the steps of:

applying a first conductive ink to a substrate in a first pattern to form a first conducting element and a second conducting element, the first and second conducting elements having first and second widths;

applying a second conductive ink to the substrate with an aerosol jetting apparatus in a second pattern to form first fingers interleaved with second fingers, the first and second fingers having third and fourth widths that are less than the first and second widths of the first and second conducting element, the first fingers being spaced a distance from the second fingers between 10 nanometers and 1 millimeter,

wherein the first conducting element and the first fingers are electrically connected to form a first electrode of a sensor unit, and the second conducting element are electrically connected to the second fingers to form a second electrode of the sensor unit.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising a step of passing the substrate through a first curing station after the first conductive ink is applied to the substrate.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising a step of passing the substrate through a second curing station after the second conductive ink is applied to the substrate.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the substrate is a flexible web guided by a web guiding system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the flexible web is constructed of a material selected from a group consisting of paper, a polyamide, a plastic, and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of applying the first conductive ink to the substrate is defined further as applying the first conductive ink to the substrate utilizing a non-aerosol jetting apparatus selected from a group consisting of a screen printing apparatus, a stenciling apparatus, an electro-deposition apparatus, a sputtering apparatus, a jetting apparatus, a laser ablation apparatus and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first conductive ink is the same as the second conductive ink.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the first conductive ink is different from the second conductive ink.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of applying the second conductive ink to the substrate is defined further as applying the second conductive ink to the substrate to form a first layer of the predetermined pattern having the first fingers of the first electrode interleaved with second fingers of the second electrode, and wherein the method further comprises the step of applying a third conductive ink to the substrate forming a second layer of the predetermined pattern covering the first layer of the predetermined pattern having the first fingers of the first electrode interleaved with second fingers of the second electrode.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second conductive ink is different from the third conductive ink.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second conductive ink is the same as the third conductive ink.

19. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of applying sensor-immobilized biomolecule receptors on the substrate between the first electrode and the second electrode such that the first electrode is electrically connected to the second electrode upon one or more of the biomolecule receptors binding to a biomolecule.

20. A sensor card, comprising:

a substrate having a first surface;

one or more sensor unit formed on the first surface, the one or more sensor unit having a first electrode having first fingers, and a second electrode having second fingers with the first fingers interleaved with the second fingers and with the first fingers spaced away from the second fingers, the one or more sensor unit also comprising biomolecule receptors on the substrate between the first electrode and the second electrode such that a physical property of the first electrode relative to the second electrode is effected upon one or more of the biomolecule receptors binding to a biomolecule, and wherein the first fingers and the second fingers are formed of at least one cured conductive ink.

21. The sensor card of claim 20, wherein the first fingers are spaced a distance from the second fingers between 10 nanometers and 1 millimeter.

22. The sensor card of claim 20, wherein the substrate is constructed of a material selected from a group consisting of paper and plastic including polyimide, polyethylene, polyethylene tetraphthalate, and combinations thereof.

23. A biosensor kit,

a sensor card comprising:

a substrate having a first surface;

one or more sensor unit formed on the first surface, the one or more sensor unit having a first electrode having first fingers, and a second electrode having second fingers with the first fingers interleaved with the second fingers and with the first fingers spaced away from the second fingers, the one or more sensor unit also comprising biomolecule receptors on the substrate between the first electrode and the second electrode such that a physical property of the first electrode relative to the second electrode is effected upon one or more of the biomolecule receptors binding to a biomolecule, and wherein the first fingers and the second fingers are formed of at least one cured conductive ink; and

a reader device having a transducer operable to read the one or more sensor unit on the substrate and circuitry to provide results of the reading of the one or more sensor unit in a user-perceivable format.