DNA nano-patterning by e-beam induced charge accumulation

Programmable patterning is one of the critical issues in pursuit of the long term goal of constructing the nanodevices, which we focus on in this research is biomolecule patterning. In this paper, we demonstrate a physical method of arranging DNA into specific desired nanoscale patterns on a glass substrate by using focused electron beam. Electron beam bombardment produces the distinct regions with trapped charges on a glass substrate, which exert the electrostatic attractive force for the DNA molecules. Various DNA patterns with the dimension ranging from micrometers to nanometers could be obtained without any chemical modification. DNA patterning by electron beam induced charge accumulation has been demonstrated by using both long (linear λ,-phage DNA) and short (20-mer) DNA strands. The relationship between the amount of immobilized DNA and the electron beam doses is examined in this paper.