| Summary: | This work focuses on creating MEMS devices to mimic the function of patch pipettes. It is hypothesised that the closer the devices approximate the physical structure of patch pipettes, the more successful they will be in achieving seals and recording from cells. To test this hypothesis, devices were fabricated with a range of physical properties. The parameters varied were aperture diameter, aperture profile, aperture depth, surface roughness and surface chemistry. Devices with apertures of 1.5 <i>µ</i>m and 2.5 <i>µ</i>m were fabricated, with either a flat profile or a protruding nozzle. The surface material was thermal silicon dioxide, which was optionally doped with boron to change the surface chemistry. Devices were also manufactured with 2 <i>µ</i>m diameters. These had a rougher, PECVD silicon dioxide surface, which produced a more rounded aperture profile. Using glass patch-pipettes as a control experiment, attempts were made to form seals using these devices and N2A cells. The results obtained showed that only surface roughness and aperture depth had a significant effect on seal formation. Although it was anticipated (on the basis of the control experiments) that aperture diameter would also play a role, this was not witnessed: attempts are made to explain this discrepancy. It is thus concluded that matching surface roughness and aperture depth to those of glass pipettes is of most importance in the manufacture of planar patch-clamp devices. Although surface chemistry and aperture profile apparently do not affect seal formation, further investigation would be required to determine this for certain.
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