Method of manufacturing carbon cylindrical structures and biopolymer detection device

Abstract

A method of manufacturing carbon cylindrical structures, as represented by carbon nanotubes, by growing them on a substrate using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, comprising the steps of implanting metal ions to the substrate surface and then growing the carbon cylindrical structures using the metal ions as a catalyst. A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes comprising a step of using nano-carbon material as seed material for growing carbon nanotubes is also disclosed. A biopolymer detection device comprising vibration inducing means for inducing vibration, binding means capable of resonating with the vibration induced by the vibration inducing means and capable of binding or interacting with a target biopolymer, and detection means for detecting whether or not the binding means have bound or interacted with the target biopolymer, is also disclosed.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing carbon cylindrical structures, which uses a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method to grow carbon cylindrical structures on a substrate, comprising the steps of implanting metal ions to the surface of the substrate, and using the metal ions as a catalyst to grow the carbon cylindrical structures.  
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the implantation of the metal ions is performed through a mask film formed on the surface of the substrate, and after the implantation of the metal ions, an opening is formed in the mask film, carbon cylindrical structures being grown on the substrate surface exposed at the bottom of the opening.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal ions are selectively implanted to the region of the substrate in which the carbon cylindrical structures are to be grown.  
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein the mask film is formed with a recess provided in a portion thereof, and, after the metal ions are implanted through the mask film such that the metal ions reach the substrate surface underlying the recess, the entire mask film is removed in depth direction until the substrate surface containing the metal ions is exposed at the bottom of the recess and, at the same time, the mask film in the portion other than the recess forming portion is removed together with the implanted metal ions contained in the mask film.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein material for the mask film is a resist material, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or metal.  
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein, after metal ions are implanted, metal ions are diffused to form clusters.  
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein the diameter of the cluster is not greater than 20 nm.  
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal ions which are introduced to the substrate in advance by ion implantation are exposed at the substrate surface.  
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal ions are transition metal ions.  
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein the transition metal ions are ions of one or more metal selected from nickel, iron, or cobalt.  
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the chemical vapor deposition is a thermal chemical vapor deposition or a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.  
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 11 , wherein the chemical vapor deposition is performed during the application of an electric field.  
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the material for the substrate is a semiconductor or a metal.  
     
     
         14 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes wherein nano-carbon material is used as seed material for growing carbon nanotubes.  
     
     
         15 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 14 , wherein the nano-carbon material is disposed on a substrate, and the carbon nanotubes are selectively grown in a direction generally perpendicular to the substrate.  
     
     
         16 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 15 , wherein the selective growth is performed by a CVD method.  
     
     
         17 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 16 , wherein the CVD method is selected from a plasma enhanced CVD method and a thermal CVD method.  
     
     
         18 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 14 , wherein the nano-carbon material is chemically modified with a compound containing a catalyst metal.  
     
     
         19 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 14 , wherein the nano-carbon material comprises coating with a catalyst metal.  
     
     
         20 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 18 , wherein the catalyst metal is at least one of transition metals and transition metal compounds.  
     
     
         21 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 19 , wherein the catalyst metal is at least one of transition metals and transition metal compounds.  
     
     
         22 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 20 , wherein the transition metal is selected from Fe, Co, and Ni.  
     
     
         23 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 21 , wherein the transition metal is selected from Fe, Co, and Ni.  
     
     
         24 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 14 , wherein the diameter of the carbon nanotubes is controlled by controlling the diameter of the nano-carbon material.  
     
     
         25 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 14 , wherein number of walls of multi-wall carbon nanotubes is controlled by controlling the thickness of the catalyst metal layer of nano-carbon material coated with the catalyst metal.  
     
     
         26 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes <according to  claim 14 , wherein the nano-carbon material is arranged periodically on the substrate.  
     
     
         27 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 14 , wherein the nano-carbon material is fullerene.  
     
     
         28 . A method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes according to  claim 27 , wherein the fullerene is C 60 .  
     
     
         29 . Carbon nanotubes obtained by the manufacturing method according to  claim 14  and having single wall structure.  
     
     
         30 . Carbon nanotubes according to  claim 29 , wherein the diameter is uniform.  
     
     
         31 . Carbon nanotubes obtained by the manufacturing method according to  claim 14  and having multi-wall structure.  
     
     
         32 . Carbon nanotubes according to  claim 31 , wherein at least one of the diameter and the number of the walls is uniform.  
     
     
         33 . A biopolymer detection device comprising vibration inducing means for inducing vibration, binding means capable of resonating with the vibration induced by the vibration inducing means and capable of binding or interacting with a target biopolymer, and detection means for detecting whether or not the binding means have bound or interacted with the target biopolymer.  
     
     
         34 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein the vibration inducing means are capable of inducing vibration by at least one of stimulations having a frequency selected from electric current, ultrasonic wave, magnetic, optical and mechanical stimulations.  
     
     
         35 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein the vibration inducing means comprise a base electrode provided at one end of the binding means, a vibration inducing electrode disposed near the binding means, and an alternating current (AC) power source connected conductively with the base electrode and the vibration inducing electrode and capable of applying an AC voltage.  
     
     
         36 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 35 , wherein the vibration inducing means are fixed at the base electrode, the binding means are disposed in standing position, and the vibration inducing electrode is disposed near the circumferential side surface of the binding means.  
     
     
         37 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein the vibration inducing means is a piezoelectric element.  
     
     
         38 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein the vibration inducing means is an ultrasonic oscillator apparatus.  
     
     
         39 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein frequency of the vibration is 1 to 10 MHz.  
     
     
         40 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein amplitude of the vibration is 0.1 nm to 10 μm.  
     
     
         41 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein the binding means comprise a responding part capable of resonating with vibration applied by the vibration inducing means, and a binding part capable of binding or interacting with the target biopolymer.  
     
     
         42 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 41 , wherein the responding part is flexible.  
     
     
         43 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 41 , wherein the responding part is electrically conductive.  
     
     
         44 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 41 , wherein the responding part is either a silicon thin film or a quartz oscillator.  
     
     
         45 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 41 , wherein the responding part is a carbon nanotube.  
     
     
         46 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 45 , wherein the carbon nanotube has a single wall structure.  
     
     
         47 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 45 , wherein the carbon nanotube has a generally linear axis.  
     
     
         48 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 45 , wherein the carbon nanotube is manufactured by a chemical vapor deposition method under a DC electric field.  
     
     
         49 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 45 , wherein the carbon nanotube is manufactured using a structure having a generally linear cavity.  
     
     
         50 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 49 , wherein the structure having a generally linear cavity is alumina that was processed by anodic oxidation.  
     
     
         51 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 45 , wherein the binding means comprise the binding part bound to the tip of the carbon nanotube, and is manufactured by reacting and binding a material to be formed into the binding part with a dangling bond at the tip of the carbon nanotube produced by processing the carbon nanotube under an oxygen plasma atmosphere.  
     
     
         52 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 41 , wherein the binding part is at least one of substances, antibodies, and fragments of antibodies capable of binding or interacting with the target biopolymer under physiological conditions.  
     
     
         53 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 52 , wherein the antibody is anti-target biopolymer IgG antibody, and the antibody fragment is a Fab fragment of the anti-target biopolymer IgG antibody or a fragment thereof.  
     
     
         54 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein the detection means comprise a measuring part for detecting change of vibration, and the measuring part detects the change of vibration to thereby detect that the binding means have bound or interacted with the target biopolymer.  
     
     
         55 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 54 , wherein the change of vibration is change of natural vibration.  
     
     
         56 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein the detection means comprise a measuring part for detecting presence/absence of conduction, and the measuring part detect the presence of conduction to thereby detect that the binding means have bound or interacted with the target biopolymer.  
     
     
         57 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein the detection means comprise a measuring part for taking photographs of a vibrating state of the binding means and detecting a change of amplitude of the binding means to thereby detect a change of vibration, and the measuring part detects a change of vibration to thereby detect that the binding means have bound or interacted with the target biopolymer.  
     
     
         58 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 54 , wherein the detecting means comprise a data processing part for calculating the content of the target biopolymer in the sample based on the detection result detected by the measuring part and a dissociation constant between the target biopolymer and the binding part.  
     
     
         59 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein binding means are disposed in the sample fluid.  
     
     
         60 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 , wherein the device is used for diagnosis of disease.  
     
     
         61 . A biopolymer detection device according to  claim 60 , wherein the disease is caused by a decrease or an increase from the required amount of at least one protein in a body reaction involving a plurality of proteins, and the binding part exists in a plurality of fractions with a different fraction of the binding part being capable of binding or interacting with a different target biopolymer.  
     
     
         62 . A biopolymer detection method comprising a vibration inducing step of inducing vibration in the binding means capable of binding or interacting with a target biopolymer, and a detection step of detecting change of vibration in the binding means when the binding means have bound with the target biopolymer.  
     
     
         63 . A carbon nanotube structure comprising a binding part capable of binding or interacting with a target biopolymer at the tip of the carbon nanotube, and being manufactured by reacting and binding a material to be formed into the binding part with a dangling bond at the tip of the carbon nanotube produced by processing the carbon nanotube under an oxygen plasma atmosphere.  
     
     
         64 . A disease diagnosis apparatus comprising the biopolymer detection device according to  claim 33 .  
     
     
         65 . A disease diagnosis apparatus according to  claim 64 , wherein the apparatus diagnoses the presence or absence of a disease that is caused by a decrease or an increase from the required amount of at least one protein in a body reaction involving a plurality of proteins, and the binding part in the biopolymer detection device is divided into as many fractions as the number of the plurality of proteins, with different fraction of the binding part being capable of binding or interacting with different protein.  
     
     
         66 . A disease diagnosis apparatus according to  claim 64 , wherein the apparatus diagnoses presence/absence of a disease that is caused by a decrease or an increase from the required amount of at least one protein in a body reaction involving a plurality of proteins, and the apparatus comprise as many biopolymer detection devices as the number of the plurality of proteins, with a different binding part being capable of binding or interacting with a different protein.