Micromachined Silicon "Printing Microtiter Plates"
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Printing Microtiter Plates

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Micromachined Silicon "Printing Microtiter Plates"*

The New Generation of Microcontact Printing Tools with
Individually Compliant, Micromachined Silicon Hollow Bore Nozzle Arrays


The unitarily formed printing microtiter plates consist of an array of wells each of which possesses its own closed capillary nozzle tip that is rendered individually compliant by connection to the body of the microtiter plate by four thin (~30µm thick by 40µm wide) spiral silicon tethers. The closely spaced silicon tethers, which provide the necessary force for successful printing, also form the bottom of each well. To print hundreds of spots simultaneously, each well is filled with an automated liquid dispenser and the printhead touched to the substrate. This printhead is capable of printing millions of spots per hour.


Photomicrograph of silicon microtiter plates with an array of print tips spaced on 2.25mm centers.

  


SEM picture of a single Si print element with a 60µm tip.

  

 

Finite element analysis simulation of the strain induced upon a 200µm deflection of the print tip nozzle perpendicular to the substrate.
Features of the Silicom Microtiter Plates
  • Approximately 5,000 200pL spots per 1µL of printing fluid using 60µm tips
  • Maximum number of print tips on a 25mm x 75mm printhead: 1200 (6144 SBS format) or 300 (1536 SBS format)
  • Spot diameter variance (%CV): ~2% for single tips and ~5% for 100 tips
  • Print tip sizes from 35-500µm
  • Nozzle bores from 15-50µm
  • Reservoir volume variable from 0.1-10µL
  • Deposited spot volumes as low as 100pL
  • Custom well volumes and spacings available
  • Cost as low as $2 per print tip

Concept, Design and Working Principle of the
Micromachined Silicon "Printing Microtiter Plates"

click on the images to view enlarged images

Schematic of a 1"x1" printhead with 10 x 10 array of print tips on 2.25mm centers supported by flexible tethers.

  


Photographs and an electron micrograph of a printing microtiter plate with 100 print tips on 1536 SBS format.

  

Multiple printheads, pre-filled with appropriate oligo solutions, can be selected from a cassette and picked up by the arrayer's printing arm by vacuum. A 10 x 10 nozzle array attached to the arrayer is shown positioned over a dryer assembly.

Microarrays Printed with a
Micromachined Silicon "Printing Microtiter Plate"


Microarrays of Cy3 labeled
9-mers in 3x SSC printed using the printing microtiter plate with tips spaced on 2.25mm centers. The spots are ~ 80µm in diameter and are spaced on 150µm centers.


Image of two oligonucleotides printed from every other well in a printing microtiter plate and hybridized against their Cy3 and Cy5 labeled complements. The spots are ~75 in diameter and are printed on 125 centers. Note precise circular and uniform spot morphology.


* The development of the Silicon "Microtiter Printing Plates" is supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH).


Cost as Low as $2 per Print Tip

For more information, pricing and custom designing please contact us at
(408) 749-8318 or info@parallel-synthesis.com

OEM enquiries welcome

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3054 Lawrence Expy. Santa Clara, CA 95051
info@parallel-synthesis.com, Phone:(408) 749-8318 Fax:(408) 749-8318