Methods for microdispensing patterened layers

• US 6,306,594 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1998
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: i STAT Corporation (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: i STAT Corporation (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Davis, Graham, Lauks, Imants R., Smit, Nicolaas, Mier, Randall M., Piznik, Sylvia, Van der Werf, Paul, Wieck, Henry J., Cozzette, Stephen N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Christopher L.
• Application Number:
  US09/193,370
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 435/4, 435/5, 435/6, 435/174, 435/180, 436/518, 436/531, 436/524, 436/525, 430/4, 430/5, 430/14, 430/16, 430/56, 430/96, 430/97, 430/127
• US Class Current: 435/6.11
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/12 Specific details about manufacturing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0636 Integrated biosensor, microarrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0645 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0819 Microarrays; Biochips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/089 Virtual walls for guiding liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0268 using pulse dispensing or spraying, eg. inkjet type, piezo actuated ejection of droplets from capillaries
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5027 by integrated microfluidic structures, i.e. dimensions of channels and chambers are such that surface tension forces are important, e.g. lab-on-a-chip B01L3/5023 takes precedence; micromixers B01F33/30; microreactors for synthesis B01J19/0093; microcapillary devices in general B81B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502707 characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components by shaping or joining plastic parts B29C59/00, B29C65/00; by laminating B32B37/00; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5088 confining liquids at a location by surface tension, e.g. virtual wells on plates, wires B01L3/50857 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/001 Enzyme electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00059 vacuum chucks
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00237 Handling microquantities of analyte, e.g. microvalves, capillary networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00455 Controlling humidity in analyser
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00534 Mixing by a special element, e.g. stirrer
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1034 Transferring microquantities of liquid
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1076 plurality or independently movable heads
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5438 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0099 comprising robots or similar manipulators robots per se B25J
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/109 with two horizontal degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/81 Packaged device or kit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/809 : Multifield plates or multicontainer arrays

Abstract

An efficient method for the microfabrication of electronic devices which have been adapted for the analyses of biologically significant analyte species is described. The techniques of the present invention allow for close control over the dimensional features of the various components and layers established on a suitable substrate. Such control extends to those parts of the devices which incorporate the biological components which enable these devices to function as biological sensors. The materials and methods disclosed herein thus provide an effective means for the mass production of uniform wholly microfabricated biosensors. Various embodiments of the devices themselves are described herein which are especially suited for real time analyses of biological samples in a clinical setting. In particular, the present invention describes assays which can be performed using certain ligand/ligand receptor-based biosensor embodiments. The present invention also discloses a novel method for the electrochemical detection of particular analyte species of biological and physiological significance using an substrate/label signal generating pair which produces a change in the concentration of electroactive species selected from the group consisting of dioxygen and hydrogen peroxide.

Claims

1. A method of forming a patterned layer on a substantially planar surface, comprising

(a) microdispensing, at a predetermined location, an amount of a photoformable matrix onto said planar surface sufficient to cover a predetermined area having a defined perimeter and to extend beyond said area and perimeter, forming a microdispensed matrix, wherein the area covered by the microdispensed matrix is less than the entire area of the planar surface;

(b) drying said microdispensed matrix;

(c) aligning said microdispensed matrix with a mask of the predetermined area and defined perimeter at the predetermined location to form an aligned matrix;

(d) exposing said aligned matrix to radiation to form an exposed matrix; and

(e) developing said exposed matrix to remove excess microdispensed photoformable matrix, such that a patterned layer is formed at the predetermined location, said patterned layer having the predetermined area and defined perimeter.

2. The method of claim 1 in which step (a) is repeated one or more times.

4. The method of claim 1 or 3 in which said substantially planar surface comprises a wafer having an array of unit cells of uniform dimensions.

5. The method of claim 4 in which said unit cells include a base sensor selected from the group consisting of amperometric and potentiometric sensors.

6. The method of claim 4 in which said unit cells include a base sensor selected from the group consisting of acoustic wave sensing devices, thermistors, gas-sensing electrodes, field-effect transistors, optical waver guides, evanescent field sensors, and conductimetric sensors.

7. The method of claim 1 or 3 in which said photoformable matrix includes a photoformable proteinaceous mixture.

8. The method of claim 7 in which said proteinaceous mixture includes a substance selected from the group consisting of albumin, casein, gamma-globulin, gelatin, collagen, derivatives and mixtures thereof.

9. The method of claim 7 in which said proteinaceous mixture includes fish gelatin.

10. The method of claim 7 in which said proteinaceous mixture includes a photosensitizer selected from the group consisting of ferric chloride, ferric ammonium citrate, ferric potassium citrate, ferrric ammonium oxalate, ferric sodium oxalate, ferric potassium oxalate, ferric oxalate, potassium dichromate, and ammonium dichromate.

11. The method of claim 7 in which said proteinaceous mixture further includes a porosity-altering substance selected from the group consisting of polyhydroxylated compounds, salts, and mixtures thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 or 3 in which said photoformable matrix further includes one or more bioactive molecules.

13. The method of claim 12 in which said bioactive molecule is an enzyme selected from the group consisting of glucose oxidase, glucose dehydrogenase, NADH oxidase, uricase, urease, creatininase, sarcosine oxidase, creatinase, creatine kinase, creatine amidohydrolase, cholesterol esterase, cholesterol oxidase, glycerol kinase, hexokinase, glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, amylase, lipase, esterase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, L-glutamate oxidase, pyruvate oxidase, diaphorase, bilirubin oxidase, and mixtures thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 or 3, in which said photoformable matrix comprises a synthetic photofonnable mixture.

15. The method of claim 14, in which the synthetic photoformable mixture comprises polyvinyl alcohol and styrylpyridinium, polyvinyl alcohol and stilbazonium salt, or polyvinyl pyrrolidone and 2,5-bis(4′

-azo-2′

-sulfobenzal)cyclopentanone.

16. The method of claim 1 or 3, in which the predetermined area is in the shape of an octagon, horseshoe or circle.

17. The method of claim 1 or 3, in which the dispensed photoformable matrix extends over an area approximately three times the predetermined area.

18. The method of claim 1 or 3, in which the drying step takes place under ambient conditions.

19. The method of claim 1 or 3, in which the radiation is ultraviolet light.

20. The method of claim 1 or 3, in which the photoformable matrix is either a positive or negative photoresist.

21. The method of claim 1 or 3, in which the developing step comprises immersing and agitating said planar surface in an aqueous solution.

22. The method of claim 21, in which said aqueous solution comprises hydrogen peroxide.

3. A method of forming a plurality of different patterned layers on a substantially planar surface, comprising

(a) microdispensing, at a plurality of predetermined locations, a plurality of amounts of different photoformable matrices onto said planar surface, each amount sufficient to cover a predetermined area having a defined perimeter and to extend beyond said area and perimeter, forming a plurality of microdispensed matrices, wherein the area covered by the microdispensed matrices is less than the entire area of the planar surface;

(b) drying said plurality of microdispensed matrices;

(c) aligning said plurality of microdispensed matrices with a mask, said mask having a plurality of features, each feature corresponding to the predetermined area and defined perimeter;

(d) exposing said plurality of matrices aligned with the mask to radiation to form a plurality of exposed matrices; and

(e) developing said plurality of exposed matrices to remove excess amounts of microdispensed photoformable matrix, such that a plurality of different patterned layers is formed at the plurality of predetermined locations, each layer having the predetermined area and defined perimeter.

23. A method of forming a patterned layer incorporating a bioactive molecule on a substantially planar surface, comprising

(a) microdispensing, at a predetermined location, an amount of a mixture of a photoformable matrix and a bioactive molecule onto said planar surface sufficient to cover a predetermined area and having a defined perimeter and to extend beyond said area and perimeter, forming a microdispensed mixture, wherein the area covered by the microdispensed matrix is less than the entire area of the planar surface;

(b) drying said microdispensed mixture to form a layer;

(c) aligning said layer with a mask of the predetermined area and defined perimeter at the predetermined location to form an aligned layer;

(d) exposing said aligned layer to radiation to form an exposed layer; and

(e) developing said exposed layer to remove excess microdispensed mixture of photoformable matrix and bioactive molecule, such that a patterned layer incorporating said bioactive molecule is formed at the predetermined location, said patterned layer having the predetermined area and defined perimeter.

24. The method of claim 23 in which said substantially planar surface comprises a wafer having an array of unit cells of uniform dimensions.

25. The method of claim 24 in which said unit cells include a base sensor selected from the group consisting of amperometric and potentiometric sensors.

26. The method of claim 24 in which said unit cells include a base sensor selected from the group consisting of acoustic wave sensing devices, thermistors, gas-sensing electrodes, field-effect transistors, optical waver guides, evanescent field sensors, and conductimetric sensors.

27. The method of claim 23 in which said photoformable matrix includes a photoformable proteinaceous mixture.

28. The method of claim 27 in which said proteinaceous mixture includes a substance selected from the group consisting of albumin, casein, gamma-globulin, gelatin, collagen, derivatives and mixtures thereof.

29. The method of claim 27 in which said proteinaceous mixture includes fish gelatin.

30. The method of claim 27 in which said proteinaceous mixture includes a photosensitizer selected from the group consisting of ferric chloride, ferric ammonium citrate, ferric potassium citrate, ferrric ammonium oxalate, ferric sodium oxalate, ferric potassium oxalate, ferric oxalate, potassium dichromate, and ammonium dichromate.

31. The method of claim 27 in which said proteinaceous mixture further includes a porosity-altering substance selected from the group consisting of polyhydroxylated compounds, salts, and mixtures thereof.

32. The method of claim 23 in which said bioactive molecule is an enzyme selected from the group consisting of glucose oxidase, glucose dehydrogenase, NADH oxidase, uricase, urease, creatininase, sarcosine oxidase, creatinase, creatine kinase, creatine amidohydrolase, cholesterol esterase, cholesterol oxidase, glycerol kinase, hexokinase, glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, amylase, lipase, esterase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, L-glutamate oxidase, pyruvate oxidase, diaphorase, bilirubin oxidase, and mixtures thereof.

33. The method of claim 23, in which said photoformable matrix comprises a synthetic photoformable mixture.

34. The method of claim 33, in which the synthetic photoformable mixture comprises polyvinyl alcohol and styrylpyridinium, polyvinyl alcohol and stilbazonium salt, or polyvinyl pyrrolidone and 2,5-bis(4′

-azo-2′

-sulfobenzal)cyclopentanone.

35. The method of claim 23, in which the predetermined area is in the shape of an octagon, horseshoe or circle.

36. The method of claim 23, in which the microdispensed photoformable matrix extends over an area approximately three times the predetermined area.

37. The method of claim 23, in which the drying step takes place under ambient conditions.

38. The method of claim 23, in which the radiation is ultraviolet light.

39. The method of claim 23, in which the photoformable matrix is either a positive or negative photoresist.

40. The method of claim 23, in which the developing step comprises immersing and agitating said planar surface in an aqueous solution.

41. The method of claim 40, in which said aqueous solution comprises hydrogen peroxide.