MICROELECTRONIC ARRAYS: APPLICATIONS FROM DNA HYBRIDIZATION DIAGNOSTICS TO DIRECTED SELF-ASSEMBLY NANOFABRICATION

A variety of microelectronic array devices have been developed for DNA hybridization analysis and clinical genotyping diagnostics. In addition to these DNA research and diagnostic applications, such devices are now being used to carry out layer-by-layer (LBL) directed self-assembly of a wide variety of molecular and nanoparticle entities into higher order structures. Such microelectronic array devices are able to produce electric fields on their surfaces that allow charged molecules and nanostructures to be rapidly transported and bound to any site on the surface of the array. Such devices can utilize either DC electric fields which affect the electrophoretic transport of the entities, or AC electric fields which allows entities to be selectively positioned by dielectrophoresis (DEP). In the past, microelectronic array devices have been used to carry out the selective transport and binding of DNA, RNA, peptides, proteins, nanoparticles, cells and even micron scale semiconductor components. More recently, these devices have demonstrated the ability to carry out the directed self-assembly of biotin and streptavidin derivatized nanoparticles into multilayer structures. Nanoparticle addressing can be carried out in about 15 seconds, and more than 40 nanoparticle layers can be completed in less than one hour. Microelectronic array based directed self-assembly represents an example of combining “top-down” and “bottom-up” technologies into viable nanofabrication process for the assembly and integration of nanocomponents into higher order structures.