ABSTRACT
An important direction in the development of analytical techniques is toward microminiaturized analyzers. Generic names for these new micrometer-featured devices include “micro-total analytical system” (µ-TAS) (Manz et al., 1990a), lab-on-a-chip (Colyer et al., 1997; Moser et al., 1995), biochip, or, simply “chip.” In some cases devices have been named based on their particular application, for example, PCR chips, gene chips, while for others the device is named for a characteristic structural feature, for example, microspot or microarray (Table 1). The common theme for all of these devices is the microminiaturization of an analytical process or part of an analytical process into a device built on a small piece of glass, plastic, or silicon (Beattie et al., 1995a; Becker and Manz, 1996, Berg and Bergveld, 1995; Berg and Lammerink, 1998; Collins and Jacobson, 1998; Hacia et al., 1998a; Kopp et al., 1997; Kricka, 1998a,b; Manz, 1998; Ramsay, 1998).
