Miniature chemical and biomedical sensors enabled by direct-write microdispensing technology

摘要

Precision micro-dispensing based upon ink jet technology has been used in medical diagnostics since the early nineties, and now is moving into a wide range of applications. Ink-jet printing technology can reproducibly dispense spheres of fluid with diameters of 15 to 100 μm (2pl to 5nl) at rates of 0 - 25,000 per second from a single drop-on-demand printhead. The deposition is non-contact, data-driven and can dispense a wide range of fluids. It is a key enabling technology in the development of Bio-MEMS devices, Sensors, Micro-fluidic devices and Micro-optical systems. In this paper, we will discuss the use of this technology for miniature chemical and bio-molecular sensors and will review in detail specific applications.