Method of increasing sensitivity and limits of detection and controlling fluid flow over sensor and sensor array

A process of making a sensor or sensor array comprising:

• a.) illumination patterning and/or thermal annealing a coated substrate comprising a substrate having a first side and a second side,
• (i) said substrate's first side comprising;
• one or more coatings of patterned electrical conductive material disposed over said substrate's first side, said patterned electrical conductive material comprising a material selected from the group consisting of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate, poly(pyrrole), polycarbazoles, polyindoles, polyazepines, Cr, Mo, Ti, Sc, Ni, V, Hf, W, Nb, Au, Ag, Cu, and Pt and mixtures thereof;
• and one or more chemical coatings disposed over said one or more coatings of patterned electrical conductive material, said one or more chemical coatings each independently comprising a transition metal and an element selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, selenium, phosphorous and mixtures thereof, said one or more chemical coatings each independently comprising at least one of an amorphous, nanocrystalline, microcrystalline or crystalline region;
• (ii) said substrate's second side optionally comprising one or more coatings of patterned electrical conductive material disposed over said substrate's first side, said patterned electrical conductive material comprising a material selected from the group consisting of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate, poly(pyrrole), polycarbazoles, polyindoles, polyazepines, Cr, Mo, Ti, Sc, Ni, V, Hf, W, Nb, Au, Ag, Cu, and Pt and mixtures thereof;
• said one or more chemical coatings each independently comprising a transition metal and an element selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, selenium, phosphorous and mixtures thereof, said one or more chemical coatings each independently comprising at least one of an amorphous, nanocrystalline, microcrystalline or crystalline region;
• said illumination patterning comprising using one or more lasers and/or lamps to achieve at least structural change and optionally a chemical change in at least a portion of at least one of said one or more chemical coatings on at least one side of said substrate, and optionally the removal of at least a portion of said chemical coating on at least one side of said substrate, said illumination patterning comprising contacting, from about 1 to about 1000 times, said surface with a continuous wave and/or pulsed laser, each said continuous wave and/or pulsed laser independently having a pulse frequency of from about 0.1 Hz to about 1000 kHz and a laser power density of from about 0.05 J/mm2 to about 800 J/mm2;
• and said thermal annealing being conducted under a pressure of from about 10×10−10 Torr to about 7000 Torr in an atmosphere comprising nitrogen, oxygen, argon, helium, hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen selenide and mixtures thereof;
• b.) optionally, attaching one or more types of functional molecules and/or one or more complexes comprising one or more types of functional molecules and one or more target molecules to at least a portion of said pattern illumination-based annealed coated substrate and/or thermally annealed coated substrate, said one or types of biomaterial being attached to:
• (i) a pattern illumination-based annealed portion of said pattern illumination-based annealed coated substrate and/or a thermally annealed portion of said thermally annealed coated substrate;
• (ii) a portion of said pattern illumination-based anneal coated substrate that is not pattern illumination-based annealed;
• or a portion of said thermally anneal coated substrate that is not thermally annealed;
• (iii) a portion of said pattern illumination-based anneal coated substrate that is not pattern illumination-based annealed and a portion of said pattern illumination-based anneal coated substrate that is pattern illumination-based annealed and/or a portion of said thermally annealed coated substrate that is not thermally annealed;
• said process comprising a quality control unit comprising one or more diagnostic detectors, said one or more diagnostic detectors positioned to collect light that has interacted with said one or more chemical coatings at the point of and/or after said pattern illumination-based annealing and/or thermal annealing has occurred, said process being optionally a roll process wherein said chemically coated substrate is a rolled chemically coated substrate that is unrolled at least in part, said unrolled chemical coating portion of said chemically coated substrate being at least in part pattern illumination-based annealed and/or thermally annealed.