Enhancing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) detection sensitivity through microconcentration on patterned fluorocarbon polymer surface

A microconcentration concept is proposed to enhance the sensitivity of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hybridization due to evaporation of the hybridization solution on a patterned hydrophobic fluorocarbon polymer (FCP) surface. The combination of microconcentration and hybridization processes provides a tool to manipulate nanoliter solution. To fabricate a patterned DNA microarray with hydrophobic surrounding surface, a plasma polymerization and lift-off protocol was designed so that the process can be carried out in a standard microelectronic fabrication laboratory with minimal adjustments on the equipment. After microconcentration, a 1 μL hybridization solution can be concentrated to below 10 nL, which improves the hybridization sensitivity by a factor of 100.