Domenico Caputo | Università degli Studi "La Sapienza" di Roma (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Domenico Caputo

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2017

32nd European Solid-State Device Research Conference, 2002

Biosensors & bioelectronics, Jan 25, 2018

The detection of life markers is a high priority task in the exploration of the Solar System. Bio... more The detection of life markers is a high priority task in the exploration of the Solar System. Biochips performing in-situ multiplex immunoassays are a very promising approach alternative to gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. As part of the PLEIADES project, we present the development of a chemiluminescence-based, highly integrated analytical platform for the detection of biomarkers outside of the Earth. The PLEIADES device goes beyond the current lab-on-chip approaches that still require bulky external instrumentation for their operation. It exploits an autonomous capillary force-driven microfluidic network, an array of thin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon photosensors, and chemiluminescence bioassays to provide highly sensitive analyte detection in a very simple and compact configuration. Adenosine triphosphate was selected as the target life marker. Three bioassay formats have been developed, namely (a) a bioluminescence assay exploiting a luciferase mutant wit...

IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology, 2018

Herein we present a point-of-care device for immunodiagnostic tests. This device integrates, on t... more Herein we present a point-of-care device for immunodiagnostic tests. This device integrates, on the same glass substrate, a PDMS microfluidic network, an array of amorphous silicon photosensors for onchip optical detection and a dedicated surface chemistry based on polymer brushes. As proof of principle, a peptide named VEA was immobilized on PHEMA polymer brushes. The survey relies on the formation, inside the microchannels, of a sandwich between primary antibody against VEA and a secondary antibody labeled with HRP, which catalyzes the reaction between luminol and hydrogen peroxide, yielding a chemiluminescent signal detected by the array of photosensors deposited underneath.

Sensing and Bio-Sensing Research, 2015

2008 Conference on Optoelectronic and Microelectronic Materials and Devices, 2008

Materials

Innovative materials for the integration of aptamers in Lab-on-Chip systems are important for the... more Innovative materials for the integration of aptamers in Lab-on-Chip systems are important for the development of miniaturized portable devices in the field of health-care and diagnostics. Herein we highlight a general method to tailor an aptamer sequence in two subunits that are randomly immobilized into a layer of polymer brushes grown on the internal surface of microfluidic channels, optically aligned with an array of amorphous silicon photosensors for the detection of fluorescence. Our approach relies on the use of split aptamer sequences maintaining their binding affinity to the target molecule. After binding the target molecule, the fragments, separately immobilized to the brush layer, form an assembled structure that in presence of a “light switching” complex [Ru(phen)2(dppz)]2+, emit a fluorescent signal detected by the photosensors positioned underneath. The fluorescent intensity is proportional to the concentration of the target molecule. As proof of principle, we selected ...

Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering

This paper reports the development of a miniaturized lab-on-glass,suitable for the on-chip detect... more This paper reports the development of a miniaturized lab-on-glass,suitable for the on-chip detection of living cell bioluminescence and their on-chip thermal treatments. The glass substrate hosts, on one side, hydrogenated amorphous silicon diodes, working as both temperature sensors and photosensors, and, on the other side, transparent thin films acting as heating sources. The main challenge of the work is the determination of the correct fabrication recipes in order to satisfy the compatibility of different microelectronic steps. The measured uniformity of temperature distribution, sensitivity of the temperature sensors, reverse dark current and spectral response of the photosensors demonstrate the successful technological integration and the suitability of the developed lab-on-glass to control the cell temperature and detect the BL emission with high sensitivity.

This work presents a thin film device, combining, on the same glass substrate, photosensors and l... more This work presents a thin film device, combining, on the same glass substrate, photosensors and long-pass interferential filter to achieve a compact and efficient sensor for biomolecule detection. The photosensors are amorphous silicon stacked structures, while the interferential filter is fabricated alternating layers of silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide, directly grown over the photosensors. The system has been optimized to effectively detect the natural fluorescence of Ochratoxin A, a highly toxic mycotoxin present in different food commodities. In particular, the long-pass interferential filter has been designed to reject the wavelengths arising from the excitation source (centered at 330 nm) thus transmitting the OTA emission spectrum (centered at 470 nm). Experimental results show that the filter strongly reduces the photosensors quantum efficiency below 420 nm, while keeps it nearly constant at higher wavelength.

Sensors

An optoelectronic, integrated system-on-glass for on-chip detection of biomolecules is here prese... more An optoelectronic, integrated system-on-glass for on-chip detection of biomolecules is here presented. The system’s working principle is based on the interaction, detected by a hydrogenated amorphous silicon photosensor, between a monochromatic light travelling in a SU-8 polymer optical waveguide and the biological solution under analysis. Optical simulations of the waveguide coupling to the thin-film photodiode with a specific design were carried out. A prototype was fabricated and characterized showing waveguide optical losses of about 0.6 dB/cm, a photodiode shot noise current of about 2.5 fA/Hz and responsivity of 495 mA/W at 532 nm. An electro-optical coupling test was performed on the fabricated device to validate the system. As proof of concept, hemoglobin was studied as analyte for a demonstration scenario, involving optical simulations interpolated with experimental data. The calculated detection limit of the proposed system for hemoglobin concentration in aqueous solution ...

Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering

This work presents a portable lab-on-chip system, based on thin film electronic devices and an al... more This work presents a portable lab-on-chip system, based on thin film electronic devices and an all-glass microfluidic network, for the real-time monitoring of enzymatic chemiluminescent reactions. The microfluidic network is patterned, through wet etching, in a 1.1 mm-thick glass substrate that is subsequently bonded to a 0.5 mm-thick glass substrate. The electronic devices are amorphous silicon p-i-n photosensors, deposited on the outer side of the thinner glass substrate. The photosensors, the microfluidic network and the electronic boards reading out the photodiodes’ current are enclosed in a small metallic box (\(10 \times 8 \times 15\,\mathrm{cm}^3\)) in order to ensure shielding from electromagnetic interferences. Preliminary tests have been performed immobilizing horseradish peroxidase on the inner wall of the microchannel as model enzyme for detecting hydrogen peroxide. Limits of detection and quantification equal to 18 and 60 \(\upmu \)M, respectively, have been found. These values are comparable to the best performances reported in literature for chemiluminescent-based optofluidic sensors.

Proceedings

Lab-on-chip are analytical systems which, compared to traditional methods, offer significant redu... more Lab-on-chip are analytical systems which, compared to traditional methods, offer significant reduction of sample, reagent, energy consumption and waste production. Within this framework, we report on the development and testing of an optoelectronic platform suitable for the on-chip detection of fluorescent molecules. The platform combines on a single glass substrate hydrogenated amorphous silicon photosensors and a long pass interferential filter. The design of the optoelectronic components has been carried out taking into account the spectral properties of the selected fluorescent molecule. We have chosen the [Ru(phen)2(dppz)]2+ which exhibits a high fluorescence when it is complexed with nucleic acids in double helix. The on-glass optoelectronic platform, coupled with a microfluidic network, has been tested in detection of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) reaching a detection limit as low as 10 ng/µL.

Biosensors, Jan 5, 2017

A lab-on-chip system, integrating an all-glass microfluidics and on-chip optical detection, was d... more A lab-on-chip system, integrating an all-glass microfluidics and on-chip optical detection, was developed and tested. The microfluidic network is etched in a glass substrate, which is then sealed with a glass cover by direct bonding. Thin film amorphous silicon photosensors have been fabricated on the sealed microfluidic substrate preventing the contamination of the micro-channels. The microfluidic network is then made accessible by opening inlets and outlets just prior to the use, ensuring the sterility of the device. The entire fabrication process relies on conventional photolithographic microfabrication techniques and is suitable for low-cost mass production of the device. The lab-on-chip system has been tested by implementing a chemiluminescent biochemical reaction. The inner channel walls of the microfluidic network are chemically functionalized with a layer of polymer brushes and horseradish peroxidase is immobilized into the coated channel. The results demonstrate the success...

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2016

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2017

32nd European Solid-State Device Research Conference, 2002

Biosensors & bioelectronics, Jan 25, 2018

The detection of life markers is a high priority task in the exploration of the Solar System. Bio... more The detection of life markers is a high priority task in the exploration of the Solar System. Biochips performing in-situ multiplex immunoassays are a very promising approach alternative to gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. As part of the PLEIADES project, we present the development of a chemiluminescence-based, highly integrated analytical platform for the detection of biomarkers outside of the Earth. The PLEIADES device goes beyond the current lab-on-chip approaches that still require bulky external instrumentation for their operation. It exploits an autonomous capillary force-driven microfluidic network, an array of thin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon photosensors, and chemiluminescence bioassays to provide highly sensitive analyte detection in a very simple and compact configuration. Adenosine triphosphate was selected as the target life marker. Three bioassay formats have been developed, namely (a) a bioluminescence assay exploiting a luciferase mutant wit...

IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology, 2018

Herein we present a point-of-care device for immunodiagnostic tests. This device integrates, on t... more Herein we present a point-of-care device for immunodiagnostic tests. This device integrates, on the same glass substrate, a PDMS microfluidic network, an array of amorphous silicon photosensors for onchip optical detection and a dedicated surface chemistry based on polymer brushes. As proof of principle, a peptide named VEA was immobilized on PHEMA polymer brushes. The survey relies on the formation, inside the microchannels, of a sandwich between primary antibody against VEA and a secondary antibody labeled with HRP, which catalyzes the reaction between luminol and hydrogen peroxide, yielding a chemiluminescent signal detected by the array of photosensors deposited underneath.

Sensing and Bio-Sensing Research, 2015

2008 Conference on Optoelectronic and Microelectronic Materials and Devices, 2008

Materials

Innovative materials for the integration of aptamers in Lab-on-Chip systems are important for the... more Innovative materials for the integration of aptamers in Lab-on-Chip systems are important for the development of miniaturized portable devices in the field of health-care and diagnostics. Herein we highlight a general method to tailor an aptamer sequence in two subunits that are randomly immobilized into a layer of polymer brushes grown on the internal surface of microfluidic channels, optically aligned with an array of amorphous silicon photosensors for the detection of fluorescence. Our approach relies on the use of split aptamer sequences maintaining their binding affinity to the target molecule. After binding the target molecule, the fragments, separately immobilized to the brush layer, form an assembled structure that in presence of a “light switching” complex [Ru(phen)2(dppz)]2+, emit a fluorescent signal detected by the photosensors positioned underneath. The fluorescent intensity is proportional to the concentration of the target molecule. As proof of principle, we selected ...

Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering

This paper reports the development of a miniaturized lab-on-glass,suitable for the on-chip detect... more This paper reports the development of a miniaturized lab-on-glass,suitable for the on-chip detection of living cell bioluminescence and their on-chip thermal treatments. The glass substrate hosts, on one side, hydrogenated amorphous silicon diodes, working as both temperature sensors and photosensors, and, on the other side, transparent thin films acting as heating sources. The main challenge of the work is the determination of the correct fabrication recipes in order to satisfy the compatibility of different microelectronic steps. The measured uniformity of temperature distribution, sensitivity of the temperature sensors, reverse dark current and spectral response of the photosensors demonstrate the successful technological integration and the suitability of the developed lab-on-glass to control the cell temperature and detect the BL emission with high sensitivity.

This work presents a thin film device, combining, on the same glass substrate, photosensors and l... more This work presents a thin film device, combining, on the same glass substrate, photosensors and long-pass interferential filter to achieve a compact and efficient sensor for biomolecule detection. The photosensors are amorphous silicon stacked structures, while the interferential filter is fabricated alternating layers of silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide, directly grown over the photosensors. The system has been optimized to effectively detect the natural fluorescence of Ochratoxin A, a highly toxic mycotoxin present in different food commodities. In particular, the long-pass interferential filter has been designed to reject the wavelengths arising from the excitation source (centered at 330 nm) thus transmitting the OTA emission spectrum (centered at 470 nm). Experimental results show that the filter strongly reduces the photosensors quantum efficiency below 420 nm, while keeps it nearly constant at higher wavelength.

Sensors

An optoelectronic, integrated system-on-glass for on-chip detection of biomolecules is here prese... more An optoelectronic, integrated system-on-glass for on-chip detection of biomolecules is here presented. The system’s working principle is based on the interaction, detected by a hydrogenated amorphous silicon photosensor, between a monochromatic light travelling in a SU-8 polymer optical waveguide and the biological solution under analysis. Optical simulations of the waveguide coupling to the thin-film photodiode with a specific design were carried out. A prototype was fabricated and characterized showing waveguide optical losses of about 0.6 dB/cm, a photodiode shot noise current of about 2.5 fA/Hz and responsivity of 495 mA/W at 532 nm. An electro-optical coupling test was performed on the fabricated device to validate the system. As proof of concept, hemoglobin was studied as analyte for a demonstration scenario, involving optical simulations interpolated with experimental data. The calculated detection limit of the proposed system for hemoglobin concentration in aqueous solution ...

Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering

This work presents a portable lab-on-chip system, based on thin film electronic devices and an al... more This work presents a portable lab-on-chip system, based on thin film electronic devices and an all-glass microfluidic network, for the real-time monitoring of enzymatic chemiluminescent reactions. The microfluidic network is patterned, through wet etching, in a 1.1 mm-thick glass substrate that is subsequently bonded to a 0.5 mm-thick glass substrate. The electronic devices are amorphous silicon p-i-n photosensors, deposited on the outer side of the thinner glass substrate. The photosensors, the microfluidic network and the electronic boards reading out the photodiodes’ current are enclosed in a small metallic box (\(10 \times 8 \times 15\,\mathrm{cm}^3\)) in order to ensure shielding from electromagnetic interferences. Preliminary tests have been performed immobilizing horseradish peroxidase on the inner wall of the microchannel as model enzyme for detecting hydrogen peroxide. Limits of detection and quantification equal to 18 and 60 \(\upmu \)M, respectively, have been found. These values are comparable to the best performances reported in literature for chemiluminescent-based optofluidic sensors.

Proceedings

Lab-on-chip are analytical systems which, compared to traditional methods, offer significant redu... more Lab-on-chip are analytical systems which, compared to traditional methods, offer significant reduction of sample, reagent, energy consumption and waste production. Within this framework, we report on the development and testing of an optoelectronic platform suitable for the on-chip detection of fluorescent molecules. The platform combines on a single glass substrate hydrogenated amorphous silicon photosensors and a long pass interferential filter. The design of the optoelectronic components has been carried out taking into account the spectral properties of the selected fluorescent molecule. We have chosen the [Ru(phen)2(dppz)]2+ which exhibits a high fluorescence when it is complexed with nucleic acids in double helix. The on-glass optoelectronic platform, coupled with a microfluidic network, has been tested in detection of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) reaching a detection limit as low as 10 ng/µL.

Biosensors, Jan 5, 2017

A lab-on-chip system, integrating an all-glass microfluidics and on-chip optical detection, was d... more A lab-on-chip system, integrating an all-glass microfluidics and on-chip optical detection, was developed and tested. The microfluidic network is etched in a glass substrate, which is then sealed with a glass cover by direct bonding. Thin film amorphous silicon photosensors have been fabricated on the sealed microfluidic substrate preventing the contamination of the micro-channels. The microfluidic network is then made accessible by opening inlets and outlets just prior to the use, ensuring the sterility of the device. The entire fabrication process relies on conventional photolithographic microfabrication techniques and is suitable for low-cost mass production of the device. The lab-on-chip system has been tested by implementing a chemiluminescent biochemical reaction. The inner channel walls of the microfluidic network are chemically functionalized with a layer of polymer brushes and horseradish peroxidase is immobilized into the coated channel. The results demonstrate the success...

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2016