COMPUTER-CONTROLLED LASER-ABLATION - A CONVENIENT AND VERSATILE TOOL FOR MICROPATTERNING BIOFUNCTIONAL SYNTHETIC SURFACES FOR APPLICATIONS IN BIOSENSING AND TISSUE ENGINEERING

This paper describes laser-based methods for preparing micropatterns o f bioactive molecular species in self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and micropatterns of proteins and other biological molecules immobilized o n solid substrates. Applications of these micropatterned surfaces in m ultianalyte biosensing and tissue engineering are emphasized. The focu s of the paper is on the use of a computer-controlled laser ablation s ystem comprising a research-grade inverted optical microscope, a pulse d nitrogen-pumped dye laser emitting at 390 nm, a programmable sample stage, and the computerized control system. The laser system can be im plemented in a typical biosensor or tissue culture laboratory to enabl e the facile and reproducible fabrication of micropatterned surfaces b y several methods. Various methods for patterning are discussed with e xamples given and emphasis placed on (1) laser ablation in the fabrica tion of photolithography masks, (2) electrochemical patterning of SAMs , and (3) laser desorption of SAMs. The relative merits of each techni que are discussed with respect to application in fabrication of active surfaces for biosensing and tissue culture applications.