Semiconductor manufactured nano-structures for microbe or virus trapping or destruction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10246730-B2
Application number	US-201614988861-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2016
Priority date	Jan 6, 2016
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A method includes disposing a solution including a microbe or a virion on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate having a trench extending from the surface to a region within the semiconductor substrate; wherein the the microbe or the virion is trapped within the trench of the semiconductor substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of damaging or destroying a microbe or a virion, the method comprising:
forming an array of protrusions arranged on a semiconductor substrate by forming a diamond-shaped epitaxial growth on a surface of a semiconductor bar structure extending from a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the array of protrusions having nanoscale dimensions;
disposing a solution comprising a microbe or virion onto the array of protrusions; and
damaging or destroying the microbe or the virion;
wherein forming the array of protrusions comprises patterning a hard mask on the semiconductor substrate to form an array of cube-shaped hard mask structures on the semiconductor substrate, recessing the semiconductor substrate to form trenches in the semiconductor substrate, performing a crystallographic etch to convert the trenches into inverted pyramid-shaped trenches, and removing remaining portions of the hard mask to form sharp protrusions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the array of protrusions comprise nanospikes with a sharp end to puncture the microbe or the virion.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the array of protrusions has protrusions having different dimensions.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the crystallographic etch is NH 4 OH, KOH, tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAH), or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising converting the semiconductor substrate into a flexible film and forming the flexible film into a tube shape such that the array of protrusions forms a lining.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein converting the array of protrusions into a flexible film comprises a spalling process comprising nickel (Ni).

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Astier Yann
• Esteban David
• Holt Judson R
• Utomo Henry K

Classifications

• A61L2/022

  Filtration · CPC title

• C12Q1/02 Primary

  involving viable microorganisms · CPC title

• A61L2/02

  using physical processes · CPC title

• C12N1/02

  Separating microorganisms from their culture media · CPC title

• C12N1/066

  by physical processes · CPC title