Hydrophobic Coating for Patterned Flow Cell Patterning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current photolithography processes for preparing patterned surfaces in flow cells for nucleic acid sequencing applications often require oxygen plasma treatment and subsequent polishing steps, which can be inefficient and damage the surface, leading to wasted gel material and altered surface energy.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a continuous hydrophobic coating layer on a solid support, where a photoresist is patterned using photolithography to create microscale or nanoscale contours without oxygen plasma treatment, allowing for the deposition of a gel material that covalently bonds to oligonucleotides without the need for mechanical or chemical polishing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If oxygen plasma treatment is applied to increase surface energy before photoresist deposition, then photoresist adhesion is improved, but surface hydrophobicity is altered and additional processing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrophobic coating layer self-assembles from solution onto the substrate surface, automatically creating a patterned surface with hydrophobic contours that directs photoresist deposition without requiring plasma treatment or other complex surface activation steps
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the surface energy parameters by applying a hydrophobic coating layer with specific contact angle properties (greater than 90 degrees), which fundamentally alters how photoresist interacts with the surface compared to traditional plasma-treated surfaces
2Manufacturing precision
If mechanical or chemical polishing is used to remove excess gel material from interstitial regions, then pattern definition is improved, but gel material is wasted and surface is damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts or removes the hydrophobic coating layer selectively from desired contour regions through photolithographic patterning, leaving it only in interstitial regions where gel material should remain, thereby defining patterns without requiring polishing to remove excess gel
Solution Approach 2:
The hydrophobic coating layer acts as an intermediary that directs gel material deposition and retention, serving as a template that eliminates the need for subsequent polishing steps to define the final pattern
3Strength
If traditional photolithography process is used with plasma treatment, then photoresist bonding is enhanced, but surface energy is altered and sequencing chemistry compatibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrophobic coating layer is applied preliminarily before photolithography, creating a surface that inherently promotes photoresist bonding through hydrophobic interactions without requiring subsequent plasma treatment that would alter surface energy and reduce sequencing chemistry compatibility
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach eliminates the need for oxygen plasma treatment and polishing, reducing material waste and maintaining surface hydrophobicity, enabling efficient and robust patterned surfaces for sequencing applications with compatible sequencing chemistry and high accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
a continuous hydrophobic coating layer... disposed a photoresist on the hydrophobic coating layer... depositing a layer of a gel material within the micro-scale or nano-scale contours, wherein the gel material is capable of covalently bonding to oligonucleotides
Implementation Method 2
patterning the photoresist layer by photolithography (or other suitable methods known in the art and/or described herein) to form micro-scale or nano-scale contours on the surface
Implementation Method 3
depositing a layer of a gel material within the micro-scale or nano-scale contours, wherein the gel material is capable of covalently bonding to oligonucleotides
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments provided herewith are directed to self-assembled methods of preparing a patterned surface for sequencing applications including, for example, a patterned flow cell or a patterned surface for digital fluidic devices. The methods utilize photolithography to create a patterned surface with a plurality of microscale or nanoscale contours, separated by hydrophobic interstitial regions, without the need of oxygen plasma treatment during the photolithography process. In addition, the methods avoid the use of any chemical or mechanical polishing steps after the deposition of a gel material to the contours.