Patent ID: 7994297

Claim:
A method of producing a probe array, said method comprising the steps of: spotting in a spot on a surface of a solid support by an ink-jet method a plurality of single-stranded nucleic acid probes, which are in an aqueous solution and effecting covalent bonding of the probes to the surface of the solid support through the intermediary of a substance, which substance is derived from N-(6-maleimidocaproyloxy) succinimide, the covalent bonding being effected via a reaction between a thiol group of a probe, the probe being one of the probes, with a maleimido group of the substance, with the reaction forming the covalent bonding between the thiol group of the probe and the maleimido group of the substance occurring after the spotting step, wherein in the ink-jet method, thermal energy is applied to a liquid to eject the liquid from a nozzle as a flying liquid droplet.