DNA analysis device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12493013-B2
Application number	US-202318339196-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2023
Priority date	Jun 23, 2022
Publication date	Dec 9, 2025
Grant date	Dec 9, 2025

Abstract

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a DNA analysis device includes a substrate; a photosensitive organic layer configured to be disposed on the substrate, and expanded or contracted by reacting to light; a pair of sensing electrodes disposed on the photosensitive organic layer, and spaced apart from each other with a nano gap; and a light irradiation unit configured to irradiate the light to the photosensitive organic layer, and when the photosensitive organic layer is deformed, the nano gap between the pair of sensing electrodes is varied. Accordingly, the nano gap is simply and precisely adjusted by using the photosensitive organic layer which reacts to light to enhance DNA analysis accuracy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis device comprising:
a substrate; a photosensitive organic layer configured to be disposed on the substrate and deformed by reacting to light; a pair of sensing electrodes disposed on the photosensitive organic layer and spaced apart from each other by a nano gap; and a light irradiation unit configured to irradiate the light to the photosensitive organic layer, wherein: when the photosensitive organic layer is deformed, the nano gap between the pair of sensing electrodes is varied; each of the pair of sensing electrodes includes: a tip electrode disposed on the photosensitive organic layer, and including a nano wire, and a connection electrode disposed on the tip electrode; and the DNA analysis device further includes a metallic pattern disposed between the photosensitive organic layer and the tip electrode.

2 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a control unit configured to control the pair of sensing electrodes and the light irradiation unit.

3 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit includes
an analysis unit operable to detect a change of a current which flows on the pair of sensing electrodes when DNA passes through the nano gap; a power supply unit operable to apply a voltage to the pair of sensing electrodes; and a light irradiation control unit connected to the light irradiation unit.

4 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 1 , wherein the light irradiation unit includes:
a light source configured to provide the light; a digital micro mirror operable to reflect the light from the light source to the photosensitive organic layer; and a polarizer disposed between the digital micro mirror and the substrate, and the light is linearly polarized by the polarizer and incident on the photosensitive organic layer.

5 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 4 , wherein the photosensitive organic layer is configured to be expanded or contracted in a direction parallel to a polarization direction of light exiting the polarizer.

6 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 5 , wherein the photosensitive organic layer includes a plurality of photosensitive materials, and the plurality of photosensitive materials is aligned in the direction parallel to the polarization direction.

7 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an insulating layer disposed between the photosensitive organic layer and the pair of sensing electrodes, and a groove in the insulating layer disposed to overlap with the nano gap between the pair of sensing electrodes, wherein when the light is irradiated to the photosensitive organic layer, the substrate, the photosensitive organic layer, and the insulating layer are bent around the groove and the nano gap is varied.

8 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 7 , wherein at least a part of the photosensitive organic layer is disposed to overlap with the groove.

9 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 7 , wherein the photosensitive organic layer is disposed further adjacent to one sensing electrode of the pair of sensing electrodes.

10 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 7 , wherein the photosensitive organic layer includes a plurality of sub photosensitive organic layers.

11 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 7 , wherein the photosensitive organic layer includes:
a first photosensitive organic layer configured to be expanded or contracted in a longitudinal direction of the pair of sensing electrodes, and a second photosensitive organic layer configured to be expanded or contracted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

12 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 11 , wherein when light linearly polarized in the longitudinal direction is irradiated to the photosensitive organic layer, the first photosensitive organic layer is expanded in the longitudinal direction, and the substrate, the first photosensitive organic layer, and the insulating layer are bent around the groove.

13 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 11 , wherein when light linearly polarized in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is irradiated to the photosensitive organic layer, the second photosensitive organic layer is expanded in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a location of at least one of the pair of sensing electrodes is varied.

14 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 11 , wherein the first photosensitive organic layer and the second photosensitive organic layer are disposed on the same plane.

15 . The DNA analysis device according to claim 11 , wherein
the second photosensitive organic layer is disposed on the substrate, and the first photosensitive organic layer is disposed on the second photosensitive organic layer, and the insulating layer includes:
a first insulating layer disposed between the first photosensitive organic layer and the second photosensitive organic layer, and
a second insulating layer disposed between the pair of sensing electrodes and the first photosensitive organic layer.

16 . A device, comprising:
a first tip electrode including a first nanowire; a second tip electrode including a second nanowire; a nano gap separating the first tip electrode from the second tip electrode; an insulating layer underlying the first tip electrode and the second tip electrode; a groove in the insulating layer, the groove overlapping the first and second tip electrodes; a photosensitive organic layer underlying the insulating layer; and a controller operable to cause polarized light to be directed onto the photosensitive organic layer while a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strand passes through the nano gap.

17 . The device of claim 16 , further comprising:
a flexible substrate underlying the photosensitive organic layer; wherein the flexible substrate, the photosensitive organic layer and the insulating layer are operable to deform when the photosensitive organic layer reacts to the polarized light.

Assignees

• Lg Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Wonrae
• Kwak Musun
• Kim Kyeongjin

Classifications

• G01N33/48721

  Investigating individual macromolecules, e.g. by translocation through nanopores (Coulter counters in general G01N15/12; fabrication methods for nanoscale apertures B81B1/00; sequencing of nucleic acids C12Q1/68) · CPC title

• B82Y15/00 Primary

  Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors · CPC title

• C12Q1/6869 Primary

  Methods for sequencing · CPC title

• G01N27/3278 Primary

  involving nanosized elements, e.g. nanogaps or nanoparticles (nanopores G01N33/48721; magnetic beads G01N27/745) · CPC title