High-Efficiency Light-Induced Circulating Tumor Cells Screening Biochip Prepared by 40.68-MHz VHFPECVD

Abstract

A high-efficiency biochip for screening circulating tumor cells is proposed by using circulating tumor cells screening biochip using the nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin film prepared by 40.68-MHz very high-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (VHFPECVD) is proposed. The quality, uniformity, and electrical properties of the prepared nc-Si:H thin films affect the performance parameters of the biochip, such as its recovery rate, purity, and survival rate, for screening circulating tumor cells. By applying different chamber pressures of 600, 800, and 1000 mTorr, during 40.68-MHz VHFPECVD, the high-quality nc-Si:H thin film with a surface roughness of 10.9 nm, a resistivity of $3.3\times 10^{1} \Omega $ -cm, and an absorption coefficient of 104 cm −1 was obtained. The proposed circulating tumor cells screening biochip exhibited a recovery rate of 76%, purity of 82%, and survival rate of 88%. The screening performance of the biochip is highly associated with the quality of the deposited nc-Si:H thin films; therefore, the selection of an appropriate deposition technique is crucial for applications in a clinical trial.