The brother of semiconductor chips - biochips

may know that "Internet" and "computer" are the most popular terms today. Computers have become a must-have tool in our daily lives, so what kind of chip does your computer CPU use? "Intel" or "AMD"? In fact, whether it is "Intel" or "AMD", they are essentially the same, belong to the semiconductor chip. It can be said that the invention of semiconductor chips is a 20th century initiative, it pioneered the information age. Entering the 21st century, with the rapid development of biotechnology, the combination of electronic technology and biotechnology has given birth to the brother of semiconductor chips -
biochips
, will also bring a profound revolution to our lives. This revolution will make an inestimable contribution to the sustainable development of our country and the whole world.what is a biochip? Simply put, a biochip is a nail-sized glass, silicon sheet, nylon film and other materials put on the biological sample, and then an instrument to collect signals, using a computer to analyze the results of the data. At present, the solid-phase materials of the preparation chip are slides, silicon chips, metal sheets, nylon film and so on. The most commonly used support material at present is the slide, because the slide is suitable for a variety of synthesis methods, and the pre-processing of the slide before the chip is prepared is relatively simple. For ease of understanding, take a look at the appearance of the chip, see Figure 1.a preliminary understanding of the concept of biochips, let's look at the preparation of biochips. At present, there are three main preparation methods for biochips. The first is the mechanical sample method, this method is the use of a robot to point biological samples on the glass, and the samples on the points are arranged regularly, just like trees, so that every 3.6cm2 can hit 10,000 points (equivalent to 10,000 trees), the greatest advantage of this method is to maintain the sample prototype, rapid operation, low cost, wide range of uses. Figure 2 is a process diagram of the mechanical dot-like method.method is inkjet, which uses an inkjet device that sprays biological samples on a glass surface, just like an inkjet printer. This method can spray 10,000 points on the nail cap (1cm2 size). The third method is bit synthesis, in which microstructs (e.g. micro-holes, microchannels) are constructed on the glass, on which biological samples are synthesized and then covered with a membrane, and finally, biological samples are placed on the glass in a irregular way. The advantage of this method is its high density, which can put 400,000 points on the nail cap. , of course, any new technology, we have to look at its purpose. There are many aspects to the use of biochips, involving agriculture, for forests, medicine and so on. First of all, medical and pharmaceutical aspects, biochips into the market, we feel uncomfortable, can be diagnosed directly at home with biochips, in a few minutes will know what disease you have; In this way, the treatment can fully achieve the purpose of the drug. At the same time, in pharmaceuticals, nail cap-sized biochips are equivalent to hundreds of pharmaceutical plants, and they can be produced quickly. Second, in agroforestry, biochips can select good seeds to improve crop resistance to pests and droughts, so that pesticides can be used less and environmental pollution can be reduced. At the same time, crops can be improved to make fruit sweeter, vegetables more nutritious and so on. Third, it is available to detect food quality, such as meat, vegetables and beverages bought from the market for excessive pesticide contamination? Is there
microbial
? Is the bacteria exceeding the standard? Is it corrupt? Can be detected with a biochip.in short, the role of biochips on us can not be said in a word or two. This role is immeasurable, and the vigorous development of biochips will provide a powerful contribution to the sustainable development of society.