(Invited) Bio-MEMS Chip for Bacteria Detection -A Challenge of Si Technology to Biomedical Field-

Abstract

This work describes a Bio-MEMS chip with Si-pillar structure for trapping a bacterium Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) and subsequently for making a bacteria sensor. Applying MEMS technology made a microfluidic chip having Si pillars. They operated as a sieve for trapping L. pneumophila cells injected into the microfluidic chip. Observation of fluorescence produced by the trapped L. pneumophila confirmed their capture in the Si-pillar structure. Spectroscopic analyses of the fluorescence found to have a broad peak at around 450 nm. The peak intensity was proportional to the square root of concentration for L. pneumophila cells injected into the microfluidic chip. This quantitative relationship indicates that a bacterial sensor that has Si pillar structure as a bacterial trap can be realized by using Si technology.