Apparatus for substrate handling

• US 7,517,498 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2003
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Fredrick, Joseph P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon; Brian R.
• Application Number:
  US10/643,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20050042768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,065 Days
• Field of Search: 422 99-104, 422 58- 681, 436/174, 436/180, 436/177
• US Class Current: 422/560
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0046 Sequential or parallel reactions, e.g. for the synthesis of polypeptides or polynucleotides; Apparatus and devices for combinatorial chemistry or for making molecular arrays synthesis methods per se C40B50/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00286 Reactor vessels with top and bottom openings
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00344 Caps
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00353 Pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00389 Feeding through valves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00495 Means for heating or cooling the reaction vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00529 DNA chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00585 Parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00596 Solid-phase processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00605 the compounds being directly bound or immobilised to solid supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0061 The surface being organic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00612 the surface being inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00637 by coating it with another layer
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00641 the porous medium being continuous, e.g. porous oxide substrates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00677 Ex-situ synthesis followed by deposition on the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00691 using robots
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00722 Nucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00725 Peptides
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0678 Facilitating or initiating evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0636 : Integrated biosensor, microarrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0819 : Microarrays; Biochips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0822 : Slides
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0877 : Flow chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/10 : Means to control humidity and/or other gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0457 : passive flow or gravitation
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502 : with fluid transport, e.g. in multi-compartment structures centrifugal-type cuvettes G01N21/07; analysis by separation into components G01N30/00; automatic analysers G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/52 : with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples amplification or hybridisation processes per se C12Q1/68; controlling sequential reactions for synthesis B01J19/0046
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/52 : Supports specially adapted for flat sample carriers, e.g. for plates, slides, chips
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/06 : Libraries containing nucleotides or polynucleotides, or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/10 : Libraries containing peptides or polypeptides, or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/14 : for creating libraries
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/312 : for samples mounted on planar substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00158 : Elements containing microarrays, i.e. "biochip"
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 : including sample preparation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25375 : Liberation or purification of sample or separation of material from a sample [e.g., filtering, centrifuging, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 : Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

Devices, apparatus and methods are disclosed for carrying out processing steps involved in chemical reactions such as hybridization reactions conducted on the surface of a substrate comprising chemical compounds such as biopolymer features. A device comprises a housing comprising a housing chamber. The housing comprises an opening through which a substrate may be inserted into the housing chamber. The device may also comprise a lift mechanism for moving the substrate in and out of the housing chamber in a controlled manner. At least one inlet may be in fluid communication with the housing chamber and at least one outlet may be in fluid communication with the housing chamber. Also disclosed are methods wherein the surface is brought into contact with a processing fluid; and, then, the surface is removed from contact with the fluid in a controlled manner at a rate that substantially eliminates droplet formation of the fluid on the surface of the substrate.

Claims

1. A device for conducting processing steps on a substrate comprising an array of chemical compounds on a surface thereof, said device comprising:

(a) a housing comprising a housing chamber configured to retain any fluid introduced into said housing chamber, said fluid having a meniscus,

(b) an opening in said housing adapted for insertion into said housing chamber of a substrate having a surface comprising an array of chemical compounds,

(c) a fluid separation mechanism configured to separate fluid in said housing chamber from contact with said substrate in a controlled manner that preserves the integrity of the fluid meniscus at the atmosphere-fluid interface, wherein said fluid separation mechanism is a fluid removal mechanism for removing fluid from said housing chamber in said controlled manner,

said fluid removal mechanism comprising a valve having a varying cross-section relative to height of fluid in said housing chamber,

(d) at least one inlet in fluid communication with said housing chamber, and (e) at least one outlet in fluid communication with said housing chamber.

2. A device according to claim 1 further comprising a tilt mechanism for controlling the orientation of said device.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein said fluid removal mechanism comprises a valve or a pump.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein said fluid removal mechanism comprises a pump having a constant displacement.

5. A device according to claim 1 further comprising a temperature controller.

6. A device according to claim 1 further comprising a means for cooling a fluid.

7. A device according to claim 1 further comprising a heat exchanger for heating and/or cooling a fluid.

8. A device according to claim 1 further comprising a solvent vapor generator.

9. The device of claim 1 further comprising a wedge positioned to insert between and separate a sandwich of said substrate and a cover slide positioned in said housing chamber to expose said surface of said substrate to fluid within said housing chamber.

10. A device according to claim 9 further comprising a pair of flexible members adjacent said wedge.

11. A flow device comprising:

(a) a reaction chamber having an opening for insertion of a substrate into said reaction chamber, said substrate having a cover slide over a surface thereof wherein said surface comprises a plurality of biopolymers, and

(b) a separator mechanism for separating said substrate surface from said cover slide while in said reaction chamber without damage to said biopolymers on said surface, said separator mechanism comprising a pair of flexible members having a wedge member therebetween disposed to insert between and separate said substrate surface from said cover slide.

12. The flow device of claim 11, wherein said separator mechanism is configured to separate said substrate from said cover slide to expose said plurality of biopolymers to fluid within said housing chamber.

13. The flow device of claim 11, wherein said wedge member is positioned to separate said substrate from said cover slide to expose said plurality of biopolymers to fluid within said housing chamber.

14. The flow device of claim 11, wherein said separator mechanism is configured to part said substrate from said cover slide to expose said plurality of biopolymers to fluid within said housing chamber.

15. The flow device of claim 11, wherein said wedge member is positioned to part said substrate from said cover slide to expose said plurality of biopolymers to fluid within said housing chamber.