Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating condition characterized by memory loss and cognitive impairment, causing immense suffering for patients and their families. One of the main causes of Alzheimer’s is the aggregation of a protein called amyloid-β (Aβ42) in the brain, leading to the formation of toxic structures. Scientists have been working tirelessly to understand the molecular basis of this disorder and develop treatments that can stop or reverse the aggregation process. In a groundbreaking study, researchers used infrared nanospectroscopy and ultra-flat gold to explore the interactions between Aβ42 aggregates and a small molecule inhibitor.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It is the leading cause of cognitive decline and death among seniors, accounting for about 70% of all neurodegenerative diseases. One of the hallmarks of AD is the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) proteins, which form toxic aggregates known as amyloid plaques. To better understand the molecular mechanisms behind AD and develop effective treatments, researchers are continually exploring new techniques to study these proteins at the nanoscale.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. One of the main features of this disease is the formation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregates in the brain, which are believed to play a critical role in the development of AD. Scientists have been exploring various strategies to prevent or treat AD, including the use of natural compounds like β-carotene. In a recent study, researchers investigated how β-carotene affects the structure of Aβ aggregates, providing new insights into potential therapeutic approaches.
SU-8 photolithography is a widely used microfabrication technique that uses a photosensitive negative epoxy called SU-8. The SU-8 is used to create micro and nanoscale patterns on a substrate’s surface, microstructures, and coatings for various applications. It is a popular choice because of its stable chemical, mechanical and thermal characteristics. SU-8 photolithography plays an important role in manufacturing microfluidics and microelectromechanical system components. This blog post will look at the procedure, applications, and instruments used for SU-8 photolithography.
Metal coatings are used across various industries and applications to improve the properties and performance of a substrate. Adding a metal coating can enhance a material’s appearance and resistance properties, among other characteristics, making it suitable for various applications, such as electronics, medical implants, and transportation components.
Silicon wafers are widely used in modern technology, serving mainly as the substrate for microelectronic circuits. In fact, it is extremely rare to find electronic devices that don’t contain some form of silicon-based substrate. The reason for this ubiquity is the unique semiconducting properties of silicon–but an electro-ceramic substrate is not the final word in integrated circuits. Metal surfaces also play a crucial role in semiconductor devices.
Many life sciences applications benefit from photolithography, a method of microfabricating materials, because of its low-cost, efficient process. A substrate is covered with a photoresist and exposed to light to remove specific areas, leaving a patterned image behind. This blog post will look at why photolithography is used to pattern metal surfaces and the benefits it provides.
Photolithography is the pioneering technique used to generate functional patterns on various substrates. Precision microfabrication often occurs at scales and levels of throughput that conventional machining paradigms cannot achieve. No mechanical tools can etch microelectronics for complex devices like integrated circuits, optical components, and bio-sensors. Photolithography, meanwhile, is perfectly suited to the task.
Interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) are widely used as pressure sensors and transducers in the medical electronics industry. IDEs have also found use as strain gauges and force sensors, as well as in chemical sensor applications. To characterize IDEs, electrical measurements of resistance, capacitance and impedance need to be implemented. This article discusses how to perform an electrical analysis of IDEs.
New research published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, led by Professor Fernando Garzon of the University of New Mexico, demonstrates a novel strategy to improve sensors for water contaminants. The new approach involves using a thin films of highly oriented gold Au(111) on an electrode to enable redesign of the sensing surface and enhance its sensitivity.
Cell-based assays are crucial for analyzing cell health, cytotoxicity, invasion, migration, and many other biological and drug-discovery applications and cancer research. A cell invasion assay is one of many different types of assays. It measures cell movement across extracellular boundaries and how single cells respond to various chemo-attractants. This blog post will provide an overview of the critical benefits of cell invasion assays.
A common problem that can occur during photolithography fabrication is adhesion of the photoresist to the substrate. A photoresist consists of a resin, sensitizer, adhesion promoter, and a thinner. Each component contributes to the overall photoresist properties. A resin is included to withstand an etchant solution that may be used in the later stages of fabrication. A sensitizer offers a photosensitive element to the resist that allows it to be exposed in certain areas and not in others. A thinner is included to modify the viscosity of the overall photoresist and make it easier to spin-coat onto the substrate. The included adhesion promoter is often not potent enough to provide enough strength between resist and substrate material.
In semiconductor fabrication, stencil metal plates or shadow masks can be used to designate where a metal is deposited upon a substrate. The stencil serves as a medium for achieving custom designs onto a substrate without the need for photolithography processes. This works by masking certain areas of a substrate while exposing others to be deposited with metal.
Internet of things (IoT) encompasses physical things that connect and exchange data with other technology. IoT offers increased connectivity, cloud computing, machine learning, and advancements to AI. Emerging advancements in IoT include machine monitoring, wearable health monitoring, inventory management, and public safety enhancements. IoT works through device-to-device communications that is conducted through sensor technology and actuators.
You might be thinking a cleanroom refers to an organized and tidy space. However, a certified cleanroom is much more than that. A cleanroom is a space for conducting operations that are sensitive the particle contamination, such as semiconductor fabrication. Enviornmental factors are altered in order to provide a controlled clean atmosphere. Airborne particles are filtered out while temperature, humidity, and air flow are regulated.
Lithography is a technique used to transfer a two-dimensional pattern onto a flat surface. Depending on the required outcome, many lithography methods can be used. This blog post will cover the four different types of lithography techniques and their applications.
Platypus Technologies offers a customizable dicing service for a range of substrate materials. Accommodations can be made for both silicon wafers and glass substrates. Substrates are scribed, and then broken into individual pieces. Well-defined scribing lines are made with a diamond finished scribing wheel. This process does not involve heat therefore prevents any potential damage to a substrate material.
A custom metal coating can be created from electron beam vapour deposition on different substrates. Various systems are available for metal deposition, but the highest purity custom metal coatings are achieved via e-beam deposition. An electron beam is the best way to achieve a thin film coating to protect your surfaces.
Creating a patterned metal on a substrate can be done through various methods. Metal lift-off represents just one fabrication method that entails three steps: 1) patterning a photosensitive polymer film onto the target substrate, 2) metal deposition onto the patterns polymer film, and 3) removal of polymer with a solvent.
As more advancements are made in the electronics industry, thin-film metal coatings remain in high demand. The team at Platypus Technologies has done custom work with a range of companies, from completing small R&D projects to creating continual partnerships. Our credibility has been built based on our internal expertise, high-quality metal deposition, and attention to detail.