BIOCHIP SUPPORT COMPRISING THIN LAYERS OF SOL-GEL MATERIAL AND PRODUCTION METHOD THEREOF

摘要

The invention relates to a biochip support. The inventive support consists of a substrate bearing at least one porous layer of material on a first face, whereby the layer is intended to ensure the fixing of biological molecules on and inside said layer. The support is characterised in that the layer is a thin optical layer of material prepared by sol-gel process, having a refractive index which is less than that of the substrate. The invention also relates to a method of grafting biological molecules to the surface of, and inside the thin layer of material prepared by sol-gel process on the first face of the biochip support. The aforementioned method comprises the following steps: preparation of a sol which is intended to provide the sol-gel material; incorporation of bio-molecules in the material during the preparation thereof; grafting of bio-molecules in the material during the preparation thereof; deposition of a thin layer of said sol on the first face of the substrate; and production of the thin layer of sol-gel material from the thin layer of sol. Moreover, one particular grafting method also comprises a step involving the structuring of the thin layer of sol-gel material in order to produce a network of pits and bumps over all or part of the biochip support.