Abstract
We have developed a straightforward technique to assemble ordered arrays of magnetic microspheres on patterned thin Permalloy (Py) films deposited on the surface of a silicon wafer. Droplets containing micrometer-sized carboxyl paramagnetic microspheres are placed on a horizontally oriented wafer. The field produced by a permanent magnet placed under the wafer is rendered inhomogeneous by the patterned Py features and the resulting field gradients attract and hold the paramagnetic microspheres to these features. While the magnetic microspheres are being attracted to and secured on the pattered Permalloy features, a horizontal flow is created by a pipette, which also removes loose (unsecured) microspheres. By applying this technique to a cocktail of individually functionalized microspheres, a sensor could be realized, which will screen, in parallel, for a large number of targets per unit area. The ability to resolve individual microspheres is close to 100%. A desirable feature is that the substrate is reusable; removing the magnet allows an existing batch of microspheres, which may have lost sensitivity due to environmental exposure, to be flushed from the substrate and replaced with a new batch. The technique complements existing approaches in the field of microarrays widely used in immunoassay, DNA fragment detection, pathogen detection, and other applications in functional genomics and diagnostics.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 044701 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Physics |
Volume | 104 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2008 |
Funding
We thank David Kelso for advice on handling and obtaining microspheres and discussing various sensor applications, Alan Feinerman for helpful advice on lithography, and Ivan Nevirkovets for helping with the RIE. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CCF 03–29957.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Physics and Astronomy