Development of a CMOS-compatible PCR chip : comparison of design and system strategies
Erill, Ivan (Centro Nacional de Microelectrónica (Espanya))
Campoy Sánchez, Susana (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia)
Rus, José (Centro Nacional de Microelectrónica (Espanya))
Fonseca, Luis (Centro Nacional de Microelectrónica (Espanya))
Ivorra, Antoni (Centro Nacional de Microelectrónica (Espanya))
Navarro, Zenón (Centro Nacional de Microelectrónica (Espanya))
Plaza, José A. (Centro Nacional de Microelectrónica (Espanya))
Aguiló Llobet, Jordi (Centro Nacional de Microelectrónica (Espanya))
Barbé García, Jordi (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia)

Date:	2004
Abstract:	In the last decade research in chips for DNA amplification through the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been relatively abundant, but has taken very diverse approaches, leaving little common ground for a straightforward comparison of results. Here we report the development of a line of PCR chips that is fully compatible with complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology and its revealing use as a general platform to test and compare a wide range of experimental parameters involved in PCR-chip design and operation. Peltier-heated and polysilicon thin-film driven PCR chips have been produced and directly compared in terms of efficiency, speed and power consumption, showing that thin-film systems run faster and more efficiently than Peltier-based ones, but yield inferior PCR products. Serpentine-like chamber designs have also been compared with standard rectangular designs and with the here reported rhomboidal chamber shape, showing that serpentine-like chambers do not have detrimental effects in PCR efficiency when using non-flow-through schemes, and that chamber design has a strong impact on sample insertion/extraction yields. With an accurate temperature control (±0. 2 °C) we have optimized reaction kinetics to yield sound PCR amplifications of 25 µl mixtures in 20 min and with 24. 4 s cycle times, confirming that a titrated amount of bovine albumin serum (BSA, 2. 5 µg µl-1) is essential to counteract polymerase adsorption at chip walls. The reported use of a CMOS-compatible technological process paves the way for an easy adaption to foundry requirements and for a scalable integration of electro-optic detection and control circuitry.
Grants:	Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología BMC2001-2065 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2001/SGR-206
Note:	Altres ajuts: this work was partly funded by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), by grant TIC97-0569 from the Comision Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT).
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Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Published in:	Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, Vol. 14, issue 11 (Nov. 2004) , p. 1558-1568, ISSN 0960-1317

DOI: 10.1088/0960-1317/14/11/018

Postprint 21 p, 959.8 KB

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