Multiplexed detection of nanoscale microcantilever deflections for high-throughput biomolecular analysis

摘要: We present the first steps towards a device for the parallel detection of multiple biomolecules through the binding-induced deflection of microcantilevers. In this study the thermal bimorph effect is used to model the changes in surface stress that are caused by molecular binding. A bank of five cantilevers (each 600 μm long, 645 nm thick) is actuated thermally over a range of 3 μm of tip deflection. The cantilevers are illuminated with a laser and the resulting pattern of reflected spots is used to validate a new CCD-based detection method that tracks the deflections of multiple cantilevers simultaneously. A stress-balancing fabrication technique was also implemented to reduce the initial deflection by an nearly order of magnitude.