# US 9,039,996 B2 · Silicon substrate optimization for microarray technology

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- Number: US 9,039,996 B2
- Document ID: US9039996B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/272,063
- Filed: 2011-10-12
- Published: 2012-04-19
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2010-10-12
- Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
- Applicants: Massimiliano Pesaturo; Robert J. Powell
- Inventors: Massimiliano Pesaturo; Robert J. Powell
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9039996B2

## CPC

- B01L 3/502707: {characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components}
- B01L 3/502753: {characterised by bulk separation arrangements on lab-on-a-chip devices, e.g. for filtration or centrifugation}
- B01L 3/502761: {specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads or physically stretching molecules}
- C40B 60/10: for identifying library members
- G01B 5/00: Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of mechanical techniques
- B01J 2219/00317: Microwell devices, i.e. having large numbers of wells
- B01J 2219/00466: in a slurry
- B01J 2219/00702: Processes involving means for analysing and characterising the products
- B01L 2200/0668: Trapping microscopic beads
- B01L 2300/16: Surface properties and coatings
- B01L 2300/161: Control and use of surface tension forces, e.g. hydrophobic, hydrophilic
- Y10T 428/24355: Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]
- B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
- C40B: COMBINATORIAL CHEMISTRY; LIBRARIES, e.g. CHEMICAL LIBRARIES (in silico combinatorial libraries of nucleic acids, proteins or peptides G16B35/00; in silico combinatorial chemistry G16C20/60)
- G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A micro device includes a substrate and a structure configured to bind to an object or a material, or not to bind to an object or material. The structure has a roughness based on a roughness of the object or material. For example, a microarray includes a substrate and a well positioned in the substrate and configured to bind to a type of bead. The well has a roughness based on a roughness of the type of bead to which the well is configured to bind. The roughness of the well is controlled by controlling a position and number of striations in the side of the well. In another example, a moveable component of a micro device may have a roughness different from a roughness of an adjacent component, to reduce the likelihood of the moveable component sticking to the adjacent component.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
analyzing roughness characteristics of a first surface;
determining desired roughness characteristics of a second surface based on the analysis of the roughness characteristics of the first surface;
generating surface preparation parameters based on the determined desired roughness characteristics of the second surface; and
forming the second surface based on the generated surface preparation parameters, the second surface being a surface of a substrate and at least the determining and the generating being performed using one or more configured processing devices.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the generating surface preparation parameters comprises determining a shape of an opening in a mask and the forming the second surface comprises applying the mask to the substrate and etching the substrate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2 wherein the opening has a substantially polygonal shape.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the first surface is a surface of a type of object.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4 wherein the determining desired roughness characteristics of the second surface comprises determining roughness characteristics to bind to the type of object based on an analysis of roughness characteristics of the type of object.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4 wherein the type of object is a type of linking layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein,
the analyzing roughness characteristics of the first surface comprises identifying roughness characteristics of a first type of microbead;
the determining desired roughness characteristics of the second surface comprises determining desired roughness characteristics of a well to bind to the first type of microbead based on the identified roughness characteristics of the first type of microbead;
the generating surface preparation parameters based on the determined desired roughness characteristics comprises generating well parameters based on the determined desired roughness characteristics of the well; and
the forming the second surface comprises forming the well in a substrate based on the generated well parameters.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7 wherein the generating well parameters comprises determining a shape of an opening in a mask and the forming the well in the substrate comprises applying the mask to the substrate and etching the well in the opening in the substrate.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8 wherein the opening has a substantially polygonal shape.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7 wherein the forming the well comprises forming a plurality of striations in the inside surface of the well and a number and positioning of the plurality of striations are based on the identified roughness characteristics of the first type of microbead.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10 wherein the plurality of striations have a thickness based on the identified roughness characteristics of the first type of microbead.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein the well has an upper perimeter having a plurality of corners.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 wherein each striation extends longitudinally from at least proximate a respective corner of the plurality of corners toward a lower perimeter of the well.

### Claim 14 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7 wherein the well is one of a first plurality of wells positioned in the substrate and configured to bind to the first type of microbead, and each well in the first plurality of wells has a roughness based on the roughness characteristics of the first type of microbead.

### Claim 15 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising forming a second plurality of wells positioned in the substrate and configured to bind to a second type of microbead, wherein each well in the second plurality of wells has a roughness based on roughness characteristics of the second type of microbead.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises a terminal end of a bundle of fiber optic cables.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the first surface is another surface of the substrate and the determining the desired roughness characteristics of the second surface comprises determining roughness characteristics dissimilar to the roughness characteristics of the first surface.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the first surface is another surface of the substrate and the determining the desired roughness characteristics of the second surface comprises determining roughness characteristics similar to the roughness characteristics of the first surface.