Parallel Synthesis Technologies: Provides silicon tools and devices for Proteomic and Genomic communities (BIOMEMS)

Ultra high precision micromachining capabilities and the unique physical properties of single crystal silicon have been combined to create a microcontact printing pin that delivers the highest quality printed spots at the lowest cost available. Even though the microcontact printing of microarrays of many types of biological samples is now and will remain a mainstay of microcontact printing, recent additional applications have emerged in the delivery of whole cells, inorganic materials, hot melt adhesives and solder. On these pages, you can learn about silicon micromachining and how pins made by this technique will allow practitioners of microcontact printing to perform more accurate experiments, at a faster rate and at a lower cost.

Features, Advantages and Benefits of Silicon Microarray™ Technology

All pins are precisely identical for the highest reproducibility in printing
Low cost
Greatly reduced carryover
Essentially no prespotting
Highly precise volumetric uptake
The pins print to dryness utilizing the entire sample taken up
No tip bending, blunting or mushrooming
Microarray pins with tip sizes from 50µm - 200µm available
Uptake volumes of 25-250 nL per dip
Print volumes of less than 250 pL per spot
Ability to print from 96, 384 and 1536 source plates
Ability to chemically modify the pin surface
Super elasticity of silicon provides 100% recovery from stresses below the breakage point
Non-flat tip texturing provides highly uniform printed spots

For additional technical specifications and printing data, a discussion of performance attributes and to view samples of microcontact printing by the silicon microarray spotting pins, please go to the pins and holder technical information page. To order the silicon microarray pins, upgrades or replacement parts, to learn about use and maintenance of your pins and to view which accessories are available, please use the links at the top of this page.

The development of Silicon Microarray™ Technology is supported by the Biotechnology section of the Division of Design, Manufacture and Industrial Innovation at the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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Springy Capillary Pins The Next Generation of Silicon Microarray™ Printing Tools		Fluid Transfer Pins For Precise nL-µL Fluid Transfers

Micromachined Silicon "Printing Microtiter Plates"

BioMEMS
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DNA

384, 1536, 6144
Si Microtiter Plates

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