Droplet discharging head and microarray manufacturing method

• US 7,438,860 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2004
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kazuhiko Ishihara, Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Kazuhiko Ishihara, Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Ishihara, Kazuhiko, Takagi, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon; Brian R.
• Application Number:
  US10/850,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20050008497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,615 Days
• Field of Search: 422/100, 422/102, 738/633.2, 738/64, 738/640.1, 738/640.2
• US Class Current: 422/504
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/021 Adjust spacings in an array of wells, pipettes or holders, format transfer between arrays of different size or geometry
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0809 rectangular shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0819 Microarrays; Biochips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/163 Biocompatibility
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0415 electrical forces, e.g. electrokinetic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0439 ultrasonic vibrations, vibrating piezo elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0268 using pulse dispensing or spraying, eg. inkjet type, piezo actuated ejection of droplets from capillaries
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14314 Structure of ink jet print heads with electrostatically actuated membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1433 Structure of nozzle plates
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1606 Coating the nozzle area or the ink chamber

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a droplet discharging head suited to the discharge of a sample solution, and particularly one that contains a bio-related substance. This object is achieved by a droplet discharging head 1 for discharging a sample solution, wherein the portion of the inner walls of the droplet discharging head 1 that comes into contact with the sample solution is covered with a polymer composed of phosphorylcholine group-containing unsaturated compound units, or a copolymer including same. The droplet discharging head is preferably an electrostatic drive or piezoelectric drive type.

Claims

1. A droplet discharging head for discharging a sample solution comprising:

a reservoir component;

a pressurization chamber including nozzle holes;

and channels leading from the reservoir component to the pressurization chamber,

wherein the portion of the inner walls of the droplet discharging head that comes into contact with the sample solution is covered with a polymer composed of phosphorylcholine group-containing unsaturated compound units, or a copolymer including same.

2. The droplet discharging head according to claim 1, wherein the head is an electrostatic drive or piezoelectric drive type.

4. The droplet discharging head according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the phosphorylcholine group-containing unsaturated compound units are 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine units.

5. The droplet discharging head according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the copolymer including phosphorylcholine group-containing unsaturated compound units includes as constituent units 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine units and (meth)acrylic ester units.

6. The droplet discharging head according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the copolymer including phosphorylcholine group-containing unsaturated compound units includes as constituent units 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine units and silane group-containing unsaturated compound units that generate silanol groups when hydrolyzed.

7. The droplet discharging head according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the droplet discharging head is composed of glass and/or silicon.

3. A droplet discharging head for discharging a sample solution, comprising:

a first substrate having one or more electrodes on the surface thereof;

a second substrate that has an oscillating plate disposed so as to oppose the portion of the first substrate where the electrode is installed, with a microscopic gap therebetween, and elastically deforming under electrostatic force corresponding to the potential difference from the electrode, and that has one or more pressurization chambers whose internal pressure is regulated by the displacement of the oscillating plate, and which pushes the sample solution filled in said pressurization chamber out through nozzle holes;

a third substrate having one or more nozzle holes for discharging the sample solution pushed out of the pressurization chamber; and

a reservoir component that is disposed on the other side of the first substrate and has a reservoir chamber for holding the sample solution,

wherein channels leading from the reservoir component to the pressurization chamber are provided to the first substrate and second substrate, and the inner walls of at least the reservoir component, the pressurization chamber, the channels, and the nozzle holes are covered with a polymer composed of phosphorylcholine group-containing unsaturated compound units, or a copolymer including same.

8. The droplet discharging head according to claim 3, wherein the first substrate is a glass substrate, and the second substrate is a silicon substrate.

9. The droplet discharging head according to claim 8, wherein the second substrate is a silicon substrate, and a silicon oxide film is further formed between the inner walls of the pressurization chamber with which the second substrate is equipped and the coating formed by the polymer composed of phosphorylcholine group-containing unsaturated compound units, or a copolymer including same.

10. The droplet discharging head according to claim 3, wherein the nozzle surface near the nozzle holes is water-repellant.