Method for imaging informational biological molecules on a semiconductor substrate
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorL. Stephen Coles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Imaging biological molecules such as DNA at rates several times faster than conventional imaging techniques is carried out using a patterned silicon wafer having nano-machined grooves which hold individual molecular strands and periodically spaced unique bar codes permitting repeatably locating all images. The strands are coaxed into the grooves preferably using gravity and pulsed electric fields which induce electric charge attraction to the molecular strands in the bottom surfaces of the grooves. Differential imaging removes substrate artifacts.
Claims13
A method of imaging molecular strands using a substrate having a plurality of straight grooves in a top surface of said substrate, each of said grooves being of a size capable of holding only a single individual one of said molecular strands along any one section of a length of the groove, and being capable of forcing single individual molecular strands into a straight position when positioned in one of said plurality of grooves, said method comprising:
- preparing a specimen of said molecular strands and depositing said specimen onto said top surface;
- aligning and depositing individual ones of said molecular strands into individual ones of said plurality of grooves whereby the shape and size of each groove forces the molecular strands into a straight position;
- and
- recording a first image of a selected section of said top surface of said substrate having at least one of said molecular strands in one of said grooves using an atomic imaging device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.