A novel batch fabrication of micro parts using DNA pattern recognition

We proposed a novel technique for self-assembly of micro parts by using DNA hybridization. As the demand for MEMS is growing, research on the self-assembly of micro parts is required to achieve fabrication of functional devices consisted of diverse micro parts. Our method has a unique characteristic where the selective assembly can be performed. At the targeted substrate region functionalized by single-stranded DNA, only components functionalized by the complementary one are assembled successfully. This is due to the complementary properties of DNA, which consists of four different bases (adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T)). A of one strand always pairs with a T of another, and so does C with G. The characteristic enables batch fabrication of diverse micro parts by using several kinds of DNA properly. Therefore, our method can be applied to the fabrication of MEMS. In this paper, in order to verify the feasibility of the automatic positioning using DNA hybridization, we performed a fundamental experiment for addressing polystyrene microspheres (1, 2, 6μm diameter) on the DNA patterned glass substrate.