Microfabricated apertures for supporting bilayer lipid membranes
US6863833B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 21, 2002 |
| Grant date | Mar 8, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 21, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB81B2203/0353
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The invention provides microfabricated silicon substrates and devices having extremely small apertures (termed “nanoapertures”) and methods for producing such nanoapertures. The devices have a nanoaperture (which may have a diameter ranging from about a few millimeters to as small as a few nm) across a substrate effective to connect two regions separated by the substrate. The devices are suitable for the formation of lipid bilayer membranes across the apertures, and for use in devices such as biosensors. Substrates and devices may include multiple nanoapertures, which may each support a lipid bilayer membrane, allowing fault tolerant devices such as fault-tolerant biosensors, and allowing devices able to sense more than one target molecule.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.