Process for manufacturing integrated chemical microreactors of semiconductor material
First Claim
Patent Images
1. 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 ends;
first and second trenches 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; and
a reservoir region of a resist material 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.
1 Assignment
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.
43 Citations
30 Claims
-
1. 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 ends;
first and second trenches 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; and
a reservoir region of a resist material 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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 8, 9)
-
-
3. 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 ends;
first and second trenches 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, said second reservoir having a larger area than said first reservoir; and
a sensing electrode structure extending above said surface and inside said second reservoir.
-
-
4. 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 ends;
first and second trenches 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. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
-
-
10. A structure comprising:
-
a semiconductor material body;
a buried channel formed in the semiconductor material body and at a distance from a surface of the semiconductor material body;
a first reservoir formed on the surface of the semiconductor material body;
a first trench formed on the semiconductor material body, extending from the first reservoir to a first end of the buried channel;
a second trench formed on the semiconductor material body, extending from the surface of the semiconductor material body to a second end of the buried channel;
a heating element formed on the semiconductor material body adjacent to the buried channel; and
a sensing electrode structure, formed on the semiconductor material body. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
-
-
13. A process for the fabrication of an integrated microreactor, comprising:
-
forming a semiconductor material body having a surface and a buried channel extending at a distance from said surface and having first and second ends;
forming first and second trenches extending from said surface as far as, respectively, said first and said second ends of said buried channel and being in fluid connection with said buried channel; and
above said surface, forming first and second reservoirs respectively connected to said first and second trenches in a reservoir layer of a first resist. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
forming a protective layer above said surface;
and, after said step of forming first and second reservoirs, the following steps are carried out;
selectively removing said protective layer as far as said surface, above said ends of said buried channel, to form first and second openings; and
digging said first and said second trenches, in an aligned way to said first and second openings.
-
-
17. The process according to claim 16, wherein said protective layer comprises a second resist, and one of said first and second resists is of a negative type, and the other of said first and second resists is of a positive type.
-
18. The process according to claim 13, wherein said first resist is SU8.
-
19. The process according to claim 13, wherein said step of forming first and second reservoirs is carried out after said step of forming first and second trenches.
-
20. The process according to claim 19, wherein, before said step of forming first and second reservoirs, the following steps are carried out:
-
forming a protective layer above said surface;
selectively removing said protective layer as far as said surface, above said ends of said buried channel, to form first and second openings; and
digging said first and second trenches in an aligned way to said first and second openings.
-
-
21. The process according to claim 13, wherein said first resist is a photosensitive dry resist.
-
22. The process according to claim 17, wherein said step of forming first and second reservoirs comprises the following steps:
-
applying a reservoir layer by lamination and thermocompression; and
selectively removing said reservoir layer.
-
-
23. A method, comprising:
-
introducing a 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;
introducing the fluid from the first trench into a buried channel, the buried channel extending in the semiconductor material body at a distance from a surface of the semiconductor material body, the first trench extending from the reservoir on the surface of the semiconductor material body to a first end of the buried channel;
heating the fluid within the buried channel; and
cooling the fluid within the buried channel. - View Dependent Claims (25, 27, 28, 29)
repeating the heating and cooling steps a plurality of times to achieve a desired reaction in biological matter within the fluid.
-
-
28. The method according to claim 23, wherein the cooling step is carried out by:
-
terminating the heating of the fluid; and
permitting the fluid to cool towards the ambient.
-
-
29. The method according to claim 23, wherein the cooling step is carried out by:
-
terminating the heating of the fluid; and
drawing heat from the fluid using a heat transfer mechanism.
-
-
24. A method, comprising:
-
introducing a fluid from a first reservoir into a first trench, the first reservoir and first trench being integrated in a semiconductor body;
introducing the fluid from the first trench into a buried channel, the buried channel extending in the semiconductor material body at a distance from a surface of the semiconductor material body, the first trench extending from the reservoir on the surface of the semiconductor material body to a first end of the buried channel;
heating the fluid within the buried channel, by;
passing an electric current through a heating element arranged in the semiconductor material body on top of the buried channel; and
cooling the fluid within the buried channel.
-
-
26. A method, comprising:
-
introducing a fluid from a first reservoir into a first trench, the first reservoir and first trench being integrated in a semiconductor body;
introducing the fluid from the first trench into a buried channel, the buried channel extending in the semiconductor material body at a distance from a surface of the semiconductor material body, the first trench extending from the reservoir on the surface of the semiconductor material body to a first end of the buried channel;
heating the fluid within the buried channel; and
cooling the fluid within the buried channel; and
detecting a desired product within the fluid, where the detection step is performed by the use of a sensing electrode structure, the sensing electrode structure being integrated in the semiconductor material body and in contact with the fluid.
-
-
30. 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 ends;
first and second trenches 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, extending above said surface and defining first and second reservoirs connected to said first and second trenches, respectively; and
a sensing electrode structure extending above said surface and inside said second reservoir.
-
Specification