Fabrication of and cell growth on silicon membranes with high density TSVs for bio-sensing applications

Abstract

A silicon membrane acting as an interface layer between live cells and the sensing electronics enabling low-cost, high-throughput bio-sensing is proposed; the interface is capable of supporting high pixel density allowing accurate image mapping. Cell attachment and growth was carried out on five different silicon based surfaces and compared to the standard Tissue Culture Polystyrene (TCPS) surface in order to optimize the selection process of the interface material; cell imaging is performed after 48 hours to study the effect of different surface variations (different materials on silicon, presence of metal, increased surface roughness due to CMP, etc.) on cell adhesion and growth. The results show that cells successfully adhere and grow onto the sensing electrodes for all the surfaces under test after the first 48 hours. Key enabling technologies for high pixel density membranes are also presented.