1. Field
The present disclosure relates to integrated bio-chips and methods of fabricating the same, and more particularly, to integrated bio-chips used for spectroscopically detecting a sample and methods of fabricating the integrated bio-chips.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bio-chips typically have a structure in which very tiny, e.g., microscopic, cells are arranged on a substrate in micro-units in a matrix shape, wherein each of the cells includes biogenic organic materials such as nucleotide and/or protein. Bio-materials fixed on the substrate of the bio-chip operate as biological receptors for target bio-materials.
Bio-chips detect the target bio-materials via interaction between the target bio-materials and the bio-materials which are fixed on the substrate; the various interactions may include a hybridization reaction of a nucleotide or an antigen-antibody interaction. The bio-chips may be used to research functions of genes, to search for illness-related genes, to analyze gene expression, to analyze protein distribution by detecting the bio-materials such as nucleotide or protein having a specific sequence or various other similar uses.
The interaction between the bio-materials may be detected using a fluorescence detection method. The fluorescence detection method is a spectroscopic method of detecting fluorescent images by irradiating a predetermined excitation light on fluorescent materials tagged on the bio-materials, e.g., tagged on the target bio-materials. The detection of the fluorescent images is made using an optical scanning apparatus such as a charge-coupled device (“CCD”) scanner or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (“CMOS”) Image Sensor (“CIS”) scanner.
The fluorescence obtained by irradiating the predetermined excitation light onto the fluorescent material tagged on the bio-materials is much weaker than the excitation light used for irradiation of the fluorescent material, and thus may obscure fluorescence detection. Therefore, an apparatus or method which could reduce the unwanted obscuration effects of the excitation light would be advantageous. In addition, current detection apparatuses use a scanner-type photodetector that is large, complex, and expensive, and thus, a compact bio-chip and a detection apparatus having the same would be an improvement.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds