Programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip and package structure thereof, and control system

Abstract

To provide a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip including a microelectrode, a package structure thereof, and a control system.SOLUTION: The microelectrode includes a surface, a top electrode disposed near the surface, a first logic circuit configured to receive and store a pattern signal, and a second logic circuit configured to receive a first analog signal and a second analog signal input from the outside, wherein the second logic circuit is configured to select the first analog signal or the second analog signal according to the pattern signal received by the first logic circuit, so that a voltage of the top electrode changes with the first analog signal or the second analog signal. Specific single particles can be moved or positioned through the semiconductor chip of the present invention. In addition, the present invention also provides a package structure having a chip and a control system of the chip.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to programmable semiconductor chips, and more particularly to semiconductor chips that can be applied to biotechnology. [Background technology]

[0002] Manipulation techniques involving microscale particles, such as cells and other biological samples, continue to evolve under the demand for high throughput and precision, and can be applied to cell sorting, drug delivery, and various biological research fields.

[0003] The capacitive sensing chip equipped with a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (hereinafter referred to as "CMOS") has high sensitivity and high resolution, and can sense the quality of microparticles and distinguish between particles that meet the screening conditions and those that do not.

[0004] Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a technique that applies forces to particles using non-uniform electric fields, which can be useful for manipulating particle movement, separation, or positioning. However, the development of DEP technology is hindered by the lack of a suitable platform for generating complex and programmable electric field patterns, which are often required for practical applications.

[0005] Therefore, the industry is facing an urgent challenge of how to provide semiconductor chips that can accurately identify the required particles and move and separate them label-free. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor chip capable of sensing and manipulating particle movement, a package structure including said chip, and a control system for said chip. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip with a microelectrode, the microelectrode comprising a surface, a top electrode provided near the surface, a first logic circuit for receiving and storing a pattern signal, and a second logic circuit electrically connected to the top electrode and the first logic circuit for receiving a first analog signal and a second analog signal input from outside, the second logic circuit being used to select the first analog signal or the second analog signal based on the pattern signal received by the first logic circuit so that the voltage of the top electrode changes to follow the first analog signal or the second analog signal.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the microelectrode further comprises a sensor for sensing particle information on the surface corresponding to the microelectrode.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the microelectrode further comprises an insulating layer disposed between the top electrode and the surface.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the microelectrode further comprises an insulating layer partially disposed between the top electrode and the surface.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the microelectrode comprises multiple metal layers.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the top electrode is the one of the plurality of metal layers that is the closest to the surface.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the top electrode is the second highest metal layer of the fabricated metal layers.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor chip comprises a plurality of the microelectrodes connected in series to form a serial chain.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor chip comprises a plurality of the serial chains, each chain including a plurality of the microelectrodes.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a first logic circuit of one of the plurality of microelectrodes receives and stores the pattern signal output from a first logic circuit of another microelectrode connected in series with the microelectrode.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first analog signal and the second analog signal are different.

[0018] A second aspect of the present invention provides a package structure including a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip, the package structure comprising: the programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip provided by the first aspect of the present invention; and a container having opposing bottoms and a first opening, with an accommodation space between the bottom and the first opening, the bottom being provided in a portion of the semiconductor chip where the microelectrodes are formed.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom has a second opening, the package structure further includes a substrate, the semiconductor chip is mounted on the substrate, and at least a portion of the semiconductor chip on which the microelectrode is formed communicates with the first opening through the second opening.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom of the container is made of insulating material.

[0021] A third aspect of the present invention provides a control system for a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip, comprising: a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip provided by the first aspect of the present invention; a graphics processor for generating the pattern signal; and a signal generator for generating the first analog signal and the second analog signal and transmitting the first analog signal and the second analog signal to the semiconductor chip.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the invention, the control system further comprises a processor for transmitting the pattern signal to a first logic circuit of the microelectrode.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor chip comprises a plurality of the microelectrodes connected in series to form a serial chain, and the processor is used to decompose the pattern signal generated by the graphics processor and transmit the decomposed pattern signal to each corresponding serial chain.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control system further comprises an imaging device facing the surface of the microelectrode to take pictures.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the microelectrode further comprises a sensor for sensing particle information on a surface corresponding to the microelectrode, and the graphics processor is used to receive the particle information sensed by the sensor and generate the pattern signal based on the particle information.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control system comprises a container having an opposing bottom and a first opening, with an accommodating space between the bottom and the first opening, and the bottom is provided in a portion of the semiconductor chip where the microelectrodes are formed.

[0027] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control system further comprises a substrate, the bottom of which has a second opening, the semiconductor chip is mounted on the substrate, and at least a portion of the semiconductor chip on which the microelectrode is formed communicates with the first opening through the second opening. [Effects of the Invention]

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip and the control system of the chip provided by the present invention can generate complex and programmable electric field patterns to move or position specific single particles. Furthermore, the package structure equipped with the programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of the present invention is compatible with cell culture vessels, and the semiconductor chip of the present invention can be integrated with conventional biological sample culture methods to screen or separate the biological sample through the semiconductor chip in a culture state. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a microelectrode element according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor chip element according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a serial chain of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a package structure with a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of the present invention; [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram of components of an exemplary embodiment of a control system for a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The implementation of the present invention will be described below through specific embodiments, and those skilled in the art will readily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed herein. The present invention may also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details of the present specification may be variously refined and modified based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0031] [First embodiment] 1 and 2, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a microelectrode element according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention. A first aspect of the present invention provides a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip 1 that may include a microelectrode 10. In one embodiment, the microelectrode 10 may include a surface 11, a top electrode 12, a first logic circuit 13, and a second logic circuit 14. The first logic circuit 13 may be used to receive and store a pattern signal. The second logic circuit 14 may be electrically connected to the top electrode 12 and the first logic circuit 13. The second logic circuit 14 may be used to receive a first analog signal 31 and a second analog signal 32 input from outside the microelectrode 10. The second logic circuit 14 may be used to select either the first analog signal 31 or the second analog signal 32 based on the pattern signal received by the first logic circuit 13, so that the voltage of the top electrode 12 changes according to the first analog signal 31 or the second analog signal 32. In this embodiment, the top electrode 12 can be disposed near the surface 11, and when the voltage of the top electrode 12 follows the first analog signal 31 or the second analog signal 32, it can form a corresponding electric field on the surface 11. Preferably, in this embodiment, the first logic circuit 13 can be, for example, a D-flip-flop (DFF), and the second logic circuit 14 can be, for example, but not limited to, a Transmission Gate-Based Analog Multiplexer (TGMUX).

[0032] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the length and width of the microelectrode 10 may be in the range of 1 to 40 microns (μm), depending on the amount of functional circuitry that the microelectrode 10 has. Preferably, the length and width of the microelectrode 10 may be about 10 microns.

[0033] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the length and width of the semiconductor chip 1 can be adjusted according to the needs of actual applications, for example, the length and width of the semiconductor chip 1 can be in the range of 0.1 to 100 mm. Preferably, the length and width of the semiconductor chip 1 can be in the range of 1 to 10 mm.

[0034] [Second embodiment] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor chip element according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention. According to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in microelectrodes 10a and 10b in Figure 3, microelectrode 10 may further include a sensor 15, which may be electrically connected to top electrode 12 and first logic circuit 13. As shown in Figure 4, sensor 15 may be used to sense particle information on surface 11 corresponding to microelectrodes 10a and 10b. The particle information may include, but is not limited to, the size of particle 100, the structure of particle 100, or the composition of particle 100.

[0035] According to one embodiment of the present invention, particle 100 may comprise a biological particle, such as, but not limited to, a cell, a virus, a bacterium, DNA, RNA, or a protein. According to another embodiment of the present invention, particle 100 may be a non-biological particle, such as, but not limited to, a small molecule compound, or any such substance that can be identified or quantified.

[0036] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the microelectrode 10 may further include an insulating layer 16 that may be disposed between the top electrode 12 and the surface 11. Preferably, in another embodiment, a portion of the top electrode 12 may not have the insulating layer 16 between it and a corresponding portion of the surface 11, i.e., the insulating layer 16 is partially disposed between the top electrode 12 and the surface 11, so that when a voltage is generated on the top electrode 12, an electric field can be better formed on the surface 11, and the particles 100 can be moved and captured on the semiconductor chip 1 of the present invention, thereby facilitating their positioning.

[0037] See also FIGS. 2 and 4. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the microelectrode 10 may include multiple metal layers 17. Preferably, the microelectrode 10 may have five metal layers 17. In this embodiment, the method for manufacturing the five metal layers 17 may include, but is not limited to, forming the five metal layers 17 using a CMOS manufacturing process, or forming six metal layers using a CMOS manufacturing process, and then removing the metal layer closest to the surface 11, i.e., the top metal layer 17a, to form the five metal layers 17, or forming six metal layers using a CMOS manufacturing process, then forming an insulating layer on the six metal layers, and then removing the six metal layers and the insulating layer to form the five metal layers 17. The number of metal layers in the microelectrode 10 is not limited to five, and the number or thickness of the metal layers can be adjusted according to the needs of the manufacturing process or the final product.

[0038] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the top electrode 12 may be the one of the plurality of metal layers 17 that is the closest to the surface 11. Preferably, in an embodiment in which the microelectrode 10 may have five metal layers 17, the top electrode 12 may be the one of the five metal layers 17 that is the closest to the surface 11.

[0039] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the top electrode 12 may be the second-highest metal layer 17b among multiple metal layers that can be fabricated during the manufacturing process. Specifically, when multiple metal layers can be fabricated during the manufacturing process, the prior art selects the top electrode as the highest metal layer 17a among all the fabricated metal layers, i.e., the metal layer that is closest to the surface of the semiconductor chip, and uses an inert layer above the top metal layer 17a as an insulating layer. According to the present invention, the microelectrode 10 does not use the top metal layer 17a, but instead uses the second-highest metal layer 17b, i.e., the metal layer that is closest to the top metal layer 17a, as the top electrode. The second-highest metal layer 17b is the metal layer that is closest to the surface 11 among the multiple metal layers 17, and the insulating layer 16 is disposed between the surface 11 and the second-highest metal layer 17b. By selecting the second-highest metal layer 17b as the top electrode 12, not only can the surface 11 be made relatively flat, but the distance between the top electrode 12 and the surface 11 can also be significantly reduced, allowing the thickness of the insulating layer 16 to be thinner and effectively reducing the distance between the microelectrodes 10a and 10b, thereby increasing the strength of the electric field generated on the surface 11 and making it easier to move, capture, and position particles 100 on the semiconductor chip 1. Specifically, compared to a structural design using the top metal layer 17a, the use of the second-highest metal layer 17b can reduce the distance between the top electrode 12 and the surface 11 by approximately four times and the distance between each microelectrode 10 by approximately five times. As mentioned above, the number of metal layers 17 of the microelectrode 10 is not limited to five, and the number or thickness of the metal layers can be adjusted according to the needs of the manufacturing process or the final product.

[0040] [Third embodiment] 4 and 5, Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention. According to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 4, a semiconductor chip 1 may include a plurality of microelectrodes 10a-10b that can be connected in series to form a series chain 20. In another embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, a plurality of microelectrodes 10a-10c included in the semiconductor chip 1 may be connected in series to form a series chain 20a, and a plurality of microelectrodes 10x-10z may be connected in series to form a series chain 20b.

[0041] 5 and 6, Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a serial chain of the present invention. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor chip 1 may include multiple serial chains 20, and each serial chain 20 may include multiple microelectrodes 10.

[0042] 5, the semiconductor chip 1 may include two serial chains 20a and 20b, where the serial chain 20a includes microelectrodes 10a-10c and the serial chain 20b includes microelectrodes 10x-10z, and the number of microelectrodes included in the serial chain 20a may be the same as the number of microelectrodes included in the serial chain 20b. According to another embodiment of the present invention, each serial chain 20 may include a different number of microelectrodes 10, and the number of microelectrodes 10 included in the serial chain 20 may be adjusted according to the needs of the actual application.

[0043] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the number of microelectrodes 10 included in the semiconductor chip 1 may be approximately 10 to 100,000,000, but is not limited to this. For example, the number of microelectrodes 10 on the semiconductor chip 1 may be 128 x 128, and the semiconductor chip 1 may be divided into eight serial chains 20, each of which includes 16 x 128 microelectrodes 10. Alternatively, the number of microelectrodes 10 on the semiconductor chip 1 may be 256 x 256, and the semiconductor chip 1 may be divided into four serial chains 20, each of which includes 64 x 256 microelectrodes 10, but is not limited to this.

[0044] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in an embodiment in which the semiconductor chip 1 includes a plurality of microelectrodes 10, the first logic circuit 13 of one of the microelectrodes 10 can receive and store the pattern signal output by the first logic circuit 13 of another microelectrode 10 that is directly connected to the microelectrode 10. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the first logic circuit 13 of the microelectrode 10b can receive and store the pattern signal output by the first logic circuit 13 of the microelectrode 10a that is directly connected to the microelectrode 10b, and the second logic circuit 14 of the microelectrode 10b can select the first analog signal 31 or the second analog signal 32 based on the pattern signal received by the first logic circuit 13 of the microelectrode 10b, so as to make the voltage of the top electrode 12 of the microelectrode 10b follow the first analog signal 31 or the second analog signal 32. In this embodiment, the first logic circuit 13 of the microelectrode 10 may have two inputs and one output. For example, the first input of the first logic circuit 13 of the microelectrode 10a is the pattern signal to be stored, and the second input is used to determine whether the stored signal should be exchanged. If exchanged, the exchanged signal is sent to the first input of the first logic circuit 13 of the microelectrode 10b via the output of the microelectrode 10a. If not exchanged, the output of the microelectrode 10a remains unchanged for the microelectrodes 10b and 10c, and this example applies to the microelectrodes 10c and 10d.

[0045] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a first analog signal 31 and a second analog signal 32 can be pre-established depending on the characteristics of the particle 100 so as to generate a dielectrophoretic force capable of moving or positioning the particle 100 on the surface 11.

[0046] 4 and 5 again. According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the second logic circuit 14 selects the first analog signal 31, the signal change followed by the top electrode 12 can be different from the signal change followed by the top electrode 12 when the second logic circuit 14 selects the second analog signal 32. In this embodiment, when the signals followed by the top electrodes 12 are different, the electric fields generated on the corresponding surfaces 11 will be different. Specifically, when the second logic circuit 14 of the microelectrode 10b selects the first analog signal 31 and the second logic circuit 14 of the microelectrode 10a selects the second analog signal 32, there is a difference between the electric field generated on the surface 11 of the microelectrode 10b and the electric field generated on the surface 11 of the microelectrode 10a, causing the particles 100 to move from the surface 11 of the microelectrode 10a to the surface 11 of the microelectrode 10b, or from the surface 11 of the microelectrode 10b to the surface 11 of the microelectrode 10a.

[0047] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the dielectrophoretic force generated on the surface 11 of the microelectrode 10 may be a horizontal positive dielectrophoretic force to trap the particles 100 on the semiconductor chip 1. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the dielectrophoretic force generated on the surface 11 of the microelectrode 10 may be a horizontal negative dielectrophoretic force to separate the particles 100 from the surface 11 of the semiconductor chip 1 and effectively reduce the adhesion of the particles 100 to the surface 11.

[0048] According to the present invention, the semiconductor chip 1 can generate electric field differences on the surface 11 according to different preset signals via the top electrode 12 to move or position the particles 100. It should be noted that the semiconductor chip 1 of the present invention can generate programmable electric field patterns to move a specific particle 100 to a specific position according to the first analog signal 31 and the second analog signal 32 received by the microelectrodes 10.

[0049] Referring to Figure 7, Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a package structure including a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of the present invention. A second aspect of the present invention provides a package structure including a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip. The package structure may include the programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip 1 provided by the first aspect of the present invention and a container 6. The container 6 may have opposing bottoms 61 and a first opening 62, with an accommodating space 63 between the bottom 61 and the first opening 62, and the semiconductor chip 1 may be provided on the bottom 61.

[0050] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the storage space 63 of the container 6 can be used to culture a biological sample, and the container 6 can be, for example, but not limited to, various cell culture dishes or an apparatus capable of storing biological particles. In this embodiment, the semiconductor chip 1 having the package structure is provided on the bottom 61 of the container 6 and does not affect the culture state or growth process of the biological sample. During the process of continuous culture of particles 100 by conventional cell culture or biological sample culture methods, the particles 100 can be moved or positioned to a desired position via the semiconductor chip 1 of the present invention B, which is useful for growing or selecting biological samples.

[0051] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom 61 may have a second opening 611, and the semiconductor chip 1 may be disposed in the second opening 611. Preferably, as shown in Fig. 7, the package structure may further include a substrate 7, and the semiconductor chip 1 may be disposed on the substrate 7, the substrate 7 being connected to the bottom 61 of the container 6, and at least a portion of the semiconductor chip 1 on which the microelectrodes 10 are formed communicates with the first opening 62 through the second opening 611, exposing the surface 11 of the semiconductor chip 1 from the second opening 611.

[0052] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom 61 of the container 6 may be made of an insulating material. Preferably, the bottom 61 of the container 6 and the substrate 7 may be made of an insulating material. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the container 6 and the substrate 7 may be made of other materials, and the materials may be adjusted according to the needs of actual applications.

[0053] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dielectrophoretic force generated by the semiconductor chip 1 may be a horizontal negative dielectrophoretic force, so that the packaging structure of the present invention prevents particles 100 from adhering to the surface 11 without providing a separate top plate on the semiconductor chip 1.

[0054] 1 to 5, 7 and 8, FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of components of an exemplary embodiment of a control system for a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of the present invention. A third aspect of the present invention provides a control system for a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip. The control system may include the programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip 1 provided by the first aspect of the present invention, a graphics processor 2, and a signal generator 3. The graphics processor 2 may be used to generate the pattern signal. The signal generator 3 may be used to generate a first analog signal 31 and a second analog signal 32 and transmit the first analog signal 31 and the second analog signal 32 to the semiconductor chip 1.

[0055] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control system may comprise a container 6, the various components of which have been described in detail in the previous embodiment, and therefore will not be described in detail here.

[0056] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control system may further include a processor 4, which can be used to transmit the pattern signal generated by the graphics processor 2 to the first logic circuit 13 of the microelectrode 10.

[0057] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor chip 1 may include a plurality of microelectrodes 10 that can be connected in series to form a serial chain 20, and the processor 4 may be used to decompose the pattern signal generated by the graphics processor 2 and transmit the decomposed pattern signal to each corresponding serial chain 20. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the semiconductor chip 1 may include two serial chains 20a and 20b, and the processor 4 may decompose the pattern signal generated by the graphics processor 2 and transmit the decomposed pattern signal to each corresponding serial chain 20a and 20b, so that the first logic circuits 13 of the microelectrodes 10a to 10c in the serial chain 20a can receive and store the pattern signal of the corresponding microelectrodes 10a to 10c, and the first logic circuits 13 of the microelectrodes 10x to 10z in the serial chain 20b can receive and store the pattern signal of the corresponding microelectrodes 10x to 10z. In this embodiment, when the semiconductor chip 1 has multiple microelectrodes 10, the processor 4 decomposes the pattern signal and sends the decomposed pattern signal to each corresponding serial chain, thereby effectively improving transmission efficiency and avoiding signal data transmission errors caused by transmission delays.

[0058] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control system may further include an imaging device 5. In this embodiment, the imaging device 5 is a microscope that can take pictures facing the surface 11 of the microelectrode 10. In this embodiment, particle information of the particles 100 is monitored through the imaging device 5, and a specific pattern signal is generated through the graphics processor 2 to move or position the particles 100 to a specific position.

[0059] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the microelectrode 10 includes a sensor 15, and the sensor 15 is used to sense particle information on the surface 11 corresponding to the microelectrode 10. In this embodiment, the graphics processor 2 can receive the particle information sensed by the sensor 15 and generate a pattern signal based on the particle information. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , particle information of particles 100 on the surface 11 can be obtained through the sensor 15 of the microelectrode 10b. The graphics processor 2 can directly obtain the particle information and generate a specific pattern signal based on the particle information, thereby moving or positioning the particles 100 to a specific position. In this embodiment, the sensor 15 senses the corresponding surface 11, allowing the graphics processor 2 to directly obtain the particle information and generate a pattern signal. This eliminates the need for the control system to include an imaging device 5, thereby improving operational convenience, facilitating the movement and portability of the entire system, simplifying the complexity of the control system, and further reducing costs. [Industrial Applicability]

[0060] In summary, the programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip and its control system provided by the present invention can generate complex programmable electric field patterns to move or position specific single particles. Furthermore, a package structure equipped with the programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of the present invention is compatible with cell culture vessels, and the semiconductor chip of the present invention can be integrated with conventional biological sample culture methods to screen or separate the biological sample through the semiconductor chip in a culture state.

[0061] The above embodiments are merely illustrative for explaining the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art can add refinements and modifications to the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1 semiconductor chip, 10 microelectrodes, 10a-10d microelectrodes, 10x-10z microelectrodes, 11 surface, 12 top electrode, 13 first logic circuit, 14 second logic circuit, 15 sensor, 16 insulating layer, 17 metal layer, 17a top metal layer, 17b second highest metal layer, 20 serial chain, 20a, 20b serial chain, 2 graphics processor, 3 signal generator, 31 first analog signal, 32 second analog signal, 4 processor, 5 imaging device, 6 container, 61 bottom, 611 second opening, 62 first opening, 63 containing space, 7 substrate, 100 particle.

Claims

1. The surface and a top electrode disposed near the surface; a first logic circuit for receiving and storing the pattern signal; a second logic circuit electrically connected to the top electrode and the first logic circuit for receiving a first analog signal and a second analog signal input from an external device; A programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip having microelectrodes including: The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip, wherein the second logic circuit is used to select the first analog signal or the second analog signal based on the pattern signal received by the first logic circuit so that the voltage of the top electrode changes to follow the first analog signal or the second analog signal.

2. The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of claim 1 , wherein the microelectrodes further comprise sensors for sensing particle information on the surface corresponding to the microelectrodes.

3. The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of claim 1 , wherein the microelectrode further comprises an insulating layer disposed between the top electrode and the surface.

4. The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of claim 1 , wherein the microelectrode further comprises an insulating layer partially disposed between the top electrode and the surface.

5. The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of claim 1 , wherein the microelectrodes comprise a plurality of metal layers.

6. The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of claim 5 , wherein the top electrode is the one of the plurality of metal layers that is the closest to the surface.

7. The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of claim 5 , wherein the top electrode is the second highest metal layer of the plurality of metal layers fabricated.

8. The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of said microelectrodes connected in series to form a serial chain.

9. The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of claim 8 comprising a plurality of said serial chains each including a plurality of said microelectrodes.

10. 9. The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of claim 8, wherein the first logic circuit of one of the plurality of microelectrodes receives and stores the pattern signal output from the first logic circuit of another microelectrode connected in series with the microelectrode.

11. The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip of claim 1 , wherein the first analog signal and the second analog signal are different.

12. A programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip according to any one of claims 1 to 11; a container having a bottom and a first opening facing each other, with a storage space between the bottom and the first opening, the bottom being provided in a portion of the semiconductor chip where the microelectrode is to be formed; A package structure having a programmable dielectrophoretic semiconductor chip, comprising:

13. 13. A package structure comprising a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip as described in claim 12, wherein the bottom has a second opening, the package structure further comprises a substrate, the semiconductor chip is mounted on the substrate, and at least a portion of the semiconductor chip on which the microelectrodes are formed communicates with the first opening through the second opening.

14. 13. The package structure with a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip according to claim 12, wherein the bottom of the container is made of an insulating material.

15. The programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip according to claim 1; a graphics processor for generating the pattern signal; a signal generator for generating the first analog signal and the second analog signal and transmitting the first analog signal and the second analog signal to the semiconductor chip; A control system for a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip comprising:

16. 16. The control system of claim 15, further comprising a processor for transmitting the pattern signal to the first logic circuit of the microelectrode.

17. 17. The control system for a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip according to claim 16, wherein the semiconductor chip comprises a plurality of the microelectrodes connected in series to form a serial chain, and the processor is used to decompose the pattern signal generated by the graphics processor and transmit the decomposed pattern signal to each corresponding one of the serial chains.

18. 16. The control system of claim 15, further comprising an imaging device facing the surface of the microelectrode and taking a photograph.

19. 16. The control system for a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip according to claim 15, wherein the microelectrodes further comprise sensors for sensing particle information on a surface corresponding to the microelectrodes, and the graphics processor is used to receive the particle information sensed by the sensors and generate the pattern signal based on the particle information.

20. 16. The control system for a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip as described in claim 15, further comprising a container having an opposing bottom and a first opening, with an accommodation space between the bottom and the first opening, the bottom being provided in a portion of the semiconductor chip where the microelectrodes are formed.

21. 21. The control system for a programmable dielectrophoresis semiconductor chip described in claim 20, further comprising a substrate, wherein the bottom of the container has a second opening, the semiconductor chip is provided on the substrate, and at least the portion of the semiconductor chip on which the microelectrode is formed communicates with the first opening through the second opening.

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