Process for manufacturing integrated chemical microreactors of semiconductor material
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method, comprising applying a biological fluid to an integrated microreactor comprising:
- a semiconductor material body having a surface;
a buried channel extending in said semiconductor material body at a distance from said surface, and having a first and a second end;
a first and a second trench extending from said surface respectively as far as said first and second ends of said buried channel, and being in fluid connection with said buried channel;
a reservoir region formed on the surface of the semiconductor material body, extending above said surface and defining a first and a second reservoir connected to said first and second trenches, respectively;
wherein the biological fluid is applied to the first reservoir and travels via the first trench to the buried channel where a biological test is performed, and wherein the biological fluid then travels via the second trench to the second reservoir.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The microreactor is completely integrated and is formed by a semiconductor body having a surface and housing at least one buried channel accessible from the surface of the semiconductor body through two trenches. A heating element extends above the surface over the channel and a resist region extends above the heating element and defines an inlet reservoir and an outlet reservoir. The reservoirs are connected to the trenches and have, in cross-section, a larger area than the trenches. The outlet reservoir has a larger area than the inlet reservoir. A sensing electrode extends above the surface and inside the outlet reservoir.
44 Citations
15 Claims
-
1. A method, comprising applying a biological fluid to an integrated microreactor comprising:
-
a semiconductor material body having a surface; a buried channel extending in said semiconductor material body at a distance from said surface, and having a first and a second end; a first and a second trench extending from said surface respectively as far as said first and second ends of said buried channel, and being in fluid connection with said buried channel; a reservoir region formed on the surface of the semiconductor material body, extending above said surface and defining a first and a second reservoir connected to said first and second trenches, respectively; wherein the biological fluid is applied to the first reservoir and travels via the first trench to the buried channel where a biological test is performed, and wherein the biological fluid then travels via the second trench to the second reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A method, comprising applying a biological fluid to an integrated microreactor comprising:
-
a semiconductor material body having a surface; a buried channel extending in said semiconductor material body at a distance from said surface, and having a first and a second end; a first and a second trench extending from said surface respectively as far as said first and second ends of said buried channel, and being in fluid connection with said buried channel; a reservoir region formed on the surface of the semiconductor material body, extending above said surface and defining first and second reservoirs connected to said first and second trenches, respectively; and a heating element arranged between said surface and said reservoir region, above said buried channel; wherein the biological fluid is applied to the first reservoir and travels via the first trench to the buried channel where a biological test is performed, and wherein the biological fluid then travels via the second trench to the second reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A method, comprising:
-
introducing a biological fluid from a first reservoir into a first trench, the first reservoir and first trench being integrated in a semiconductor body, the first trench being formed in, and defined by, a resist layer formed on the surface of the semiconductor material body; moving the biological fluid from the first trench into a buried channel, the buried channel extending in the semiconductor body at a distance from a surface of the semiconductor body, the first trench extending from the reservoir on the surface of the semiconductor material body to a first end of the buried channel; the semiconductor material body having at least one integrated heating element positioned to heat the buried channel and an insulating material region surrounding said heating element; heating and optionally cooling the biological fluid within the buried channel; optionally repeating the heating and cooling steps as needed; extracting the biological fluid from the buried channel into a second reservoir via a second trench, the second reservoir and second trench being integrated in the semiconductor body, the second trench extending from the second reservoir on the surface of the semiconductor material body as far as a second end of the buried channel; and detecting a product within the biological fluid, where the detection step is performed by the use of an electrode, the electrode being integrated in the second reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (15)
-
Specification