University of Vienna: Biologization of micromanufacturing
Sensors based on MEMS technology (micro-electro-mechanical systems) are now indispensable for developments in traffic, telecommunications and consumer electronics. A European research consortium involving the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna would like to make the very powerful microchips usable for new applications: new bio-sensors.
By combining silicon, as the carrier of the sensor components, and biomolecules, future sensors should also be able to recognize various substances and be used for medical diagnosis, for example. A team led by chemist Mark Somoza from the University of Vienna is contributing methods for biologizing micromanufacturing. The project is funded by the EU research program Horizon Europe with a total of three million euros.
Connecting silicon to biomolecules
The tiny MEMS sensors are found in tablets, game consoles and automobiles. If the smartphone reveals how many steps you have taken in a day, MEMS sensors are behind it. Due to expensive, complex production conditions, sensor production is concentrated in a few large companies in the semiconductor industry, many of which are active in Asia. The expansion of possible MEMS applications in the field of biosensor technology has hitherto been lacking in the assembly of biospecific elements in miniaturized sensor chips.
Ziel des EU-Projektes ist es, eine neue Generation von Biosensoren zu entwickeln. Die MEMS-Sensoren werden in der Regel auf der Oberfläche einer Siliziumscheibe (Silizium-Wafer) hergestellt. Nun soll ein “bio-intelligentes Verfahren” ermöglichen, das Silizium mit Biomolekülen zu verbinden. “Wenn die neue Technologie erfolgreich ist, wird sie wichtige neue Anwendungen für MEMS-Sensoren ermöglichen”, so Mark Somoza vom Institut für Anorganische Chemie der Universität Wien.
The tiny diagnostic sensors could, for example, measure molecular markers of health and disease in small droplets of biological fluids (such as saliva, blood and urine). By measuring different components in parallel (multiplex sensors), they could also be used for analyzes in food and agriculture, for law enforcement (drug tests) or for environmental monitoring.
Nucleic acid photolithography for MEMS
“The University of Vienna provides important know-how on the photolithographic synthesis of DNA directly on MEMS chips,” says Somoza, head of the Nucleic Acid Chemistry group. This is essential for the molecular self-organization of the biomolecules and thus the efficient production of the small components on the microchip.
The main goal of the three-year “Bioassembler” project is to develop a bio-inspired assembly technology for the production of silicon-based multiplex biosensors in semiconductor manufacturing platforms. This should also promote a sustainable conversion of traditional manufacturing systems in Europe. Six European institutions are involved: the Finnish research institute Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT OY (VTT), coordinator of the consortium, and Biomensio OY (Finland), the University of Vienna (Austria), JOBST Technologies GmbH and Abcalis GmbH (both Germany) and Centro de Estudos Sociais – University of Coimbra (Portugal).
The project team will also seek dialogue with society to explore the acceptance and adoption of the new technology by its potential end-users and the economic impact and opportunities of the technology.