Study on Large Area Temperature Control System for a Low-Cost PCR Chip

The complicated structure, the high cost of fabrication process and chip materials make polymerase chain reaction (PCR) chips difficult to realize mass production and promotion. In addition, the detection of multiple samples using PCR chips is time-consuming since most of the chips can only proceed one reaction at a time. Here, a high throughput low-cost PCR chip with simple fabrication process and a large area temperature control system were presented. The PCR chip and the heater chip were fabricated by micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology. The temperature distribution of different shapes of the heaters were simulated by finite element method. A temperature control system based on digital signal processor (DSP) was designed to provide accurate temperature for the amplification reaction. The temperature of the liquid in PCR chip was tested by a precision temperature scanner with four wire thin film sensors. The temperature distribution of the PCR chip was verified by an infrared thermal imaging camera. The experiment showed the system has a high heating rate and good temperature uniformity. It is anticipated that the PCR chip and the system are suitable for mass production and multiple samples detecting.