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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10557779-B2
Application number	US-201615142175-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2016
Priority date	Jan 6, 2016
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

A device for isolating a microbe or a virion includes a semiconductor substrate; and a trench formed in the semiconductor substrate and extending from a surface of the semiconductor substrate to a region within the semiconductor substrate; wherein the trench has dimensions such that the microbe or the virion is trapped within the trench.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for isolating a microbe or a virion, comprising:
a silicon substrate;
an annealed layer of epitaxial silicon germanium arranged on the silicon substrate, the annealed layer of epitaxial silicon germanium comprising a roughened nanosurface comprising nanoscale germanium agglomerates; and
a plurality of spaced trenches arranged in the roughened nanosurface between the nanoscale germanium agglomerates, the plurality of spaced trenches comprising a fractal pattern;
wherein each trench of the plurality of irregularly spaced trenches has dimensions such that the microbe or the virion is trapped within the trench.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein each trench has an average diameter in a range from about 70 to about 700 nanometers (nm).

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein each trench further comprises a material having an affinity for the microbe or the virion.

4. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a solution comprising the microbe or the virion disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the microbe or the virion being trapped within a trench of the plurality of trenches.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the microbe or the virion is labeled with a fluorescent marker.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the solution comprises different microbes or different virions.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B01L2200/0668

  Trapping microscopic beads · CPC title

• B01L3/502761

  specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads or physically stretching molecules · CPC title

• B01L2300/0893

  having a very large number of wells, microfabricated wells · CPC title

• B01L2300/0816

  Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions · CPC title

• B01L3/502707

  characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components · CPC title