Silicon microsystem passivation for high-voltage applications in DNA chips

DNA chips conform to a field of primary interest, where many different know ledge areas converge into a multidisciplinary effort to develop new devices and methodologies for DNA analysis. In DNA electrophoresis techniques, sil icon chips present many advantages (such as the possibility of integrating electronic and optical circuitry, an established know-how on processing, et c.), but they also pose the problem of effective isolation for the applicat ion of the required electric fields. In this article, we describe a novel m ethodology, compatible with device sealing techniques, for electrically iso lating a DNA chip. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.