Development of vapor deposited thin films for bio-microsystems

Increasing demands for more biocompatible and sophisticated bio-microsystems in recent years has led to the development of a new technology called BioMEMS (biological micro-electro-mechanical systems). The foundation of this technology is the same as that of the traditional field of IC (integrated circuits), but an emphasis on developing new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. Micro- and nano-fabrication techniques are currently being used to develop implants that can record, sense, stimulate and deliver to biological systems. Micromachined substrates can provide unique advantages over traditional implantable devices in terms of their ability to control surface micro-architecture, topography and feature size in micron and nano sizes.; However, as BioMEMS technology is rapidly being developed, the practical use of these bio-microsystems is limited due to the inability to effectively interface with the biological system in non-immunogenic and stable manner. This is one of the most important considerations, and hence it is useful to focus on the fundamental scientific issues relating to material science, surface chemistry and immunology of silicon based bio-microsystems. This results in development of biomolecular interfaces that are compatible with both microfabrication processing and biological systems.; The overall thrust of this research is to develop, characterize and integrate vapor deposited thin films with bio-microsystems in a manner that it is both reproducible and fully integrated with existing technologies. The main strategy is to use silane coatings precursor coatings on which poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) will be coated in vapor phase. Silane has been coated user vapor phase, but its chemical and biological characterization and stability of the films under physiological conditions has not been investigated for biological applications. PEG has been coated in solution phase on silicon surface. However, it has not been coated under vapor phase. Here we are developing a technique to coat silane/PEG in vapor phase. Vapor deposited silane and PEG films are extensively characterized using techniques such as ellipsometry, contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Protein interaction with these films was also investigated. To further extend this vapor deposition technique, glass micro-capillaries were coated with PEG and their efficiency in controlling protein adsorption under flow conditions was also investigated for microfluidic applications.