The rapid temperature transfer apparatus for E. coli K12 DNA segment amplification

Thermal cycler machine was extensively used machine for temperature transfer of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify DNA sample. One of the major problems is consumption for cooling and heating. In order to improve the efficiency of time, this research presented a novel method to reduce the time for temperature transition during the DNA amplification reaction process. Based on the concept for designing the apparatus, the DNA sample was placed in the silicon chamber, which was pushed by a tappet through three temperature regions around a center. The DNA segments could be amplified rapidly after 30 thermal cycles. The polymerase chain reaction apparatus consisted of two parts, the heater device and the rotation device. The photolithography and bulk micromachining technologies were utilized to construct the thin-film heater and DNA reaction chambers. The temperature transition rate of DNA chamber was simulated by CFD-ACE+ software. Finally, 1 μl 100 base pairs (bp) DNA segment of E. coli k12 was amplified successfully within 36 min in the PCR apparatus.