Manufacturing process and thermal characterization of a fast temperature switching microdevice for real-time biological experiments

Rapid switching and measurement of the temperature in a small volume of liquid are of paramount importance for the real-time observation of biomolecular events such as protein folding-unfolding or enzymatic reactions. We present a microthermodevice for high-speed biological measurements that combines a heater for fast temperature shifting (millisecond range) and a Thin Film Thermocouple (TFTC) for accurate temperature measurement during microscopic observation. Device manufacturing as well as its thermal characterization are shown. The device is successfully employed to measure the fluorescent quenching of double-stranded DNA coupled with fluorescent intercalator on millisecond time scale, thus demonstrating its capacity for innovative biological experiments.