Systems and methods for an integrated bio-entity manipulation and processing semiconductor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9239328-B2
Application number	US-201213716709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2012
Priority date	Dec 17, 2012
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

An integrated semiconductor device for manipulating and processing bio-entity samples is disclosed. The device includes a microfluidic channel that is coupled to fluidic control circuitry, a photosensor array coupled to sensor control circuitry, an optical component aligned with the photosensor array to manipulate a light signal before the light signal reaches the photosensor array, and a microfluidic grid coupled to the microfluidic channel and providing for transport of bio-entity sample droplets by electrowetting. The device further includes logic circuitry coupled to the fluidic control circuitry and the sensor control circuitry, with the fluidic control circuitry, the sensor control circuitry, and the logic circuitry being formed on a first substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated semiconductor device for manipulating and processing bio-entity samples, the device comprising:
a microfluidic channel, the microfluidic channel being coupled to fluidic control circuitry;
a photosensor array coupled to sensor control circuitry; and
logic circuitry coupled to the fluidic control circuitry and the sensor control circuitry, and wherein the fluidic control circuitry, the sensor control circuitry, and the logic circuitry are formed on a front side of a first substrate.

2. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein a first side of the microfluidic channel is formed on the first substrate and a second side of the microfluidic channel is formed on a second substrate, the second substrate being coupled to the first substrate so as to provide the microfluidic channel for a droplet containing a bio-entity sample.

3. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 2 , wherein the first side of the microfluidic channel comprises:
a high-k dielectric layer; and
a hydrophobic coating covering the high-k dielectric layer.

4. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 3 , wherein the hydrophobic coating is a self-assembled monolayer or a polytetrafluoroethylene layer.

5. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 3 , wherein the hydrophobic coating includes a surface treated area, the surface treated area being a portion of the hydrophobic coating that has received a surface treatment that detectably alters a contacting bio-entity sample.

6. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 2 , wherein the second substrate comprises:
a transparent substrate;
a transparent electrode layer deposited over the substrate;
a high-k dielectric layer over the transparent electrode layer; and
a hydrophobic coating over the high-k dielectric layer.

7. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 6 , further comprising a surface treated area, the surface treated area being a portion of the hydrophobic coating that has received a surface treatment that detectably alters a contacting bio-entity sample.

8. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic control circuitry, the sensor control circuitry, and the logic circuitry are embedded in an inter-metal dielectric (IMD) layer, and further comprising a plurality of electrodes over the IMD layer, the plurality of electrodes being coupled to the fluidic control circuitry.

9. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 8 , further comprising a color filter array situated above the photosensor array.

10. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an anti-reflective coating, the anti-reflective coating being formed over a back side of the first substrate, the first substrate having been thinned and bonded to a carrier wafer; and
a plurality of electrodes coupled to the fluidic control circuitry, the plurality of electrodes being formed over the anti-reflective coating.

11. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 10 , wherein some of the plurality of electrodes coupled to the fluidic control circuitry are transparent electrodes.

12. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the microfluidic channel is coupled to a microfluidic grid, the microfluidic grid being coupled to a plurality of reservoirs and configured to allow for transport and mixing of fluids contained in the plurality of reservoirs, the fluids including bio-entity samples and reagents.

13. An integrated semiconductor device for manipulating and processing bio-entity samples, the device comprising:
a microfluidic channel, the microfluidic channel being coupled to fluidic control circuitry;
a photosensor array coupled to sensor control circuitry;
an optical component aligned with the photosensor array to manipulate a light signal before the light signal reaches the photosensor array;
a microfluidic grid coupled to the microfluidic channel and providing for transport of bio-entity sample droplets by electrowetting; and
logic circuitry coupled to the fluidic control circuitry and the sensor control circuitry;
wherein the fluidic control circuitry, the sensor control circuitry, and the logic circuitry are formed on a first substrate.

14. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 13 , wherein the optical component comprises one of:
a plurality of opaque concentric rings, with a space between adjacent concentric rings;
a rectangular grating; and
a pass-through structure.

15. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 13 , wherein a bottom surface of the microfluidic channel is formed on the first substrate and a top surface of the microfluidic channel is formed on a second substrate, the second substrate being coupled to the first substrate so as to provide the microfluidic channel, and wherein the bottom surface and the top surface of the microfluidic channel have a hydrophobic coating.

16. The integrated semiconductor device of claim 13 , wherein the logic circuitry is configured to provide analog-to-digital conversion.

17. A method for manipulating and processing bio-entity samples with an integrated semiconductor device, the method comprising:
providing a bio-entity sample droplet from a first reservoir, the first reservoir coupled to a microfluidic grid;
transporting the bio-entity sample droplet from the microfluidic grid into a microfluidic channel using an electrowetting effect, the bio-entity sample droplet contacting a surface treatment in the microfluidic channel, wherein one side of the microfluidic channel is provided on a first substrate, and
detecting a photonic signal with a photosensor array, the photonic signal being enhanced by an interaction of the bio-entity sample droplet and the surface treatment, the photosensor array being formed on the first substrate.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
providing a reagent droplet from a second reservoir coupled to the microfluidic grid; and
mixing the bio-entity sample droplet and the reagent droplet in the microfluidic grid to form a prepared sample droplet.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein transporting the bio-entity sample droplet from the microfluidic grid into a microfluidic channel comprises transporting the prepared sample droplet into the microfluidic channel.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein detecting a photonic signal at a photosensor array further comprises providing an optical component in between the bio-entity sample droplet and the photosensor array.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg
• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg

Inventors

• Chang Yiu-Hsien
• Cheng Chun-Ren

Classifications

• B01L2300/0816

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

• B01L2300/0654

  Lenses; Optical fibres · CPC title

• G01N33/54366 Primary

  Apparatus specially adapted for solid-phase testing · CPC title

• B01L2300/0887

  Laminated structure · CPC title

• B01L2400/0427

  Electrowetting · CPC title