MICROMECHANICAL COMPARTMENTS FOR BIOTECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS - FABRICATION AND INVESTIGATION OF LIQUID EVAPORATION

Arrays of microcompartments for combinatorial chemistry and biotechnol ogical applications have been fabricated by means of photolithography and anisotropic chemical wet etching. Integration revels of 25 000 per 4'' wafer have been achieved. Optically transparent membranes or micr osieves allowing for rinsing between process steps can be incorporated . The liquid evaporation from the microcompartments has been investiga ted using compartments of different shape. The evaporation rate can be reduced by a factor of 3 1/2 by using properly designed microcompartm ents with small openings, For the investigation of thermally activated biochemical reactions a microcompartment array with integrated thermo control has been developed, which allows the adjustment of thermal gr adients over a 4'' wafer Peak temperatures exceeding 90 degrees C at t he centre of the wafer as well as temperature gradients with Delta T=3 0 degrees C can be demonstrated.