Use of Electric Field Array Devices for Assisted Assembly of DNA Nanocomponents and Other Nanofabrication Applications

Abstract

Microelectronic arrays utilizing electric field transport have been developed for {DNA} diagnostics (including infectious andgenetic disease and cancer detection), for short tandem repeat {(STR)} forensics analysis, and for gene expression applications.In addition to these bioresearch and clinical diagnostic applications, such devices also have the potential to carry out theassisted assembly of a wide variety of molecular scale, nanoscale and microscale components into higher order structures.These microelectronic array devices are able to produce defined electric fields on their surfaces that allow molecules andother entities with high fidelity recognition properties to be transported to or from any site on the surface of the array.Such devices can utilize either {DC} electric fields which cause movement of entities by their relative charge, or {AC} electricfields which allow entities to be selectively positioned by their dielectric properties. An almost unlimited variety of moleculesand nanocomponents can be utilized with these devices, including: {DNA,} {DNA} constructs with fluorescent, photonic or electronictransfer properties, {RNA,} {RNA} constructs, amino acids, peptides, proteins (antibodies, enzymes), nanoparticles (quantum dots,carbon nanotubes, nanowires), cells and even micron scale semiconductor components. Thus, electric field devices can be usedfor developing a unique highly parallel {“Pick} & Place” fabrication process by which a variety of heterogeneous molecules,nanocomponents and micron sized objects with intrinsic self-assembly properties can be organized into higher order {2D} and{3D} structures and devices. The process represents a unique synergy of combining the best aspects of a “top-down” process witha “bottom-up” process. Finally, integration of optical tweezers for manipulation of live cells and microspheres in a similarmicroarray setup is demonstrated for the applications of biological delivery and invasive manipulation of these species.