Table 36.
Comparison of bioreceptor patterning techniques based on SiP biofunctionalization needs.
| Patterning Technique | Achievable Resolution | Ease of Multiplexing |
Spot quality/ Uniformity |
Reproducibility | Throughput | Reagent Consumption |
Simplicity | Compatibility with System-Level Integration |
Cost/ Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microcontact printing (µCP) | 0.1–0.5 µm [32,77] | Poor | Poor | Moderate | High throughput for patterning with 1 bioreceptor; low throughput for multiplexing | Low | Good | Poor; risk of surface and system damage due to stamp contact | Low cost, widely available (e.g., stamp preparation via standard soft lithography techniques; commercial µCP services available via companies including ThunderNIL and BALTFAB) * |
| Pin printing | ~1–100 µm [313,314,315] | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Low-high, depending on pin design | Low | Poor | Poor; risk of surface and system damage due to pin contact | Expensive for commercial pin printers (e.g., Bioforce Nano eNabler, BioOdyssey Calligrapher miniarrayer, Arrayit microarrayers) * |
| Microfluidic patterning in channels | ~1–10 µm [316,317] | Moderate | Good | Very good | Moderate; simultaneous bioreceptor deposition possible, but limited number of uniquely addressable locations | High | Good | Moderate; µFN design and placement require careful design to avoid system damage; microfluidics often required for assays too | Low cost, widely available (e.g., µFN preparation via standard soft lithography techniques; commercial microfluidics fabrication services available via companies including ThunderNIL and MicruX Technologies) * |
|
Inkjet
printing |
~30–150 µm [318,319] | Good | Poor | Moderate | Very high | Low | Poor | Good | Expensive, commercial options available (e.g., Scienion sciFLEXARRAYER, Fujifilm Dimatix DMP-2831) * |
| Microfluidic probe (µFP) | 10 µm [83] | Good | Good | Very good | High | Low-moderate | Poor | Moderate; non-contact, but small risk of system damage due to probe motion | No commercial products available |
µFN: microfluidic network. * These are not exhaustive lists of vendors. Vendors listed are based on an exploratory search and are not endorsed or suggested by the authors.