Theoretical and Experimental Investigations to Improve the Performance of Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Biosensors

The objective of this dissertation is to improve the performance of surface acoustic wave (SAW) biosensors for use in point-of-care-testing (POCT) applications. SAW biosensors have the ability to perform fast, accurate detection of an analyte in real time without the use of labels. However, the technology suffers from the inability to differentiate between specific and non-specific binding. Due to this limitation, direct testing of bodily fluids using SAW sensors to accurately determine an analyte\u27s concentration is difficult. In addition, these sensors are challenged by the need to detect small concentrations of a biomarker that are typically required to give a clinical diagnosis. Sensitivity, selectivity and reliability are three critical aspects for any sensing platform. To improve sensitivity the delay path of a SAW sensor has been modified with microcavities filled with various materials. These filled cavities increased sensitivity by confining wave energy to the surface by way of constructive interference and waveguiding. Thus, the improved sensitivity will result in a lower limit of detection. In addition, insertion loss is decreased as a consequence of increased wave confinement to the surface. Sensor selectivity and reliability are adversely affected by non-specific binding of unwanted species present in a sample. To address this issue a multifunctional SAW sensor is presented. The sensor consists of two SAW delay lines oriented orthogonal to each on ST-quartz in order to generate two distinct wave modes. One wave mode is used for sensing while the other is used to remove loosely bound material. By using the same transduction mechanism for both removal and sensing, the sensor chip is simplified and complex electronics are avoided. The findings of this research involve the technological advances for SAW biosensors that make their use in POCT possible

Orthogonal SAW transducers on substrate for simultaneous biofouling removal and biosensing

Devices and methods for use in removing non-specific binding in a bioassay are disclosed. A substrate can be used with input and output transducers to output surface acoustic waves. The surface acoustic waves can be transmitted through a medium. One of the input and output transducers can be formed on the surface of the substrate aligned with an x-axis of the substrate. These input and output transducers can excite a Rayleigh surface acoustic wave through the medium. Another one of the input and output transducers can be formed orthogonal to the x-axis. These input and output transducers can excite a shear wave

Removal of Non-Specifically Bound Proteins Using Rayleigh Waves Generated on ST-Quartz Substrates

Label-free biosensors are plagued by the issue of non-specific protein binding which negatively affects sensing parameters such as sensitivity, selectivity, and limit-of-detection. In the current work, we explore the possibility of using the Rayleigh waves in ST-Quartz devices to efficiently remove non-specifically bound proteins via acoustic streaming. A coupled-field finite element (FE) fluid structure interaction (FSI) model of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device based on ST-Quartz substrate in contact with a liquid loading was first used to predict trends in forces related to SAW-induced acoustic streaming. Based on model predictions, it is found that the computed SAW body force is sufficient to overcome adhesive forces between particles and a surface while lift and drag forces prevent reattachment for a range of SAW frequencies. We further performed experiments to validate the model predictions and observe that the excitation of Rayleigh SAWs removed non-specifically bound (NSB) antigens and antibodies from sensing and non-sensing regions, while rinsing and blocking agents were ineffective. An amplified RF signal applied to the device input disrupted the specific interactions between antigens and their capture antibody as well. ST-quartz allows propagation of Rayleigh and leaky SH-SAW waves in orthogonal directions. Thus, the results reported here could allow integration of three important biosensor functions on a single chip, i.e., removal of non-specific binding, mixing, and sensing in the liquid phase