Patent ID: 7960183

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a biochip using a droplet discharging device including a droplet discharging head having a cavity and a nozzle hole provided in communication with the cavity, and a liquid housing unit connected to the cavity via a flow channel, that delivers in drops a sample liquid containing a biological material onto a prescribed object from the nozzle hole of the droplet discharging head, comprising the steps of: filling a retention liquid that has roughly the same specific gravity as the sample liquid and which separates without getting mixed with the sample liquid into the liquid housing unit, the flow channel, and the cavity; injecting the sample liquid into the liquid housing unit; moving the sample liquid from the liquid housing unit to the cavity by discharging the retention liquid by sucking the retention liquid out of the droplet discharging head using an aspiration unit connected to the nozzle hole, the aspiration unit comprising a suction cap and a vacuum pump connected to the suction cap, the suction cap being constructed to be attachable to a forming surface on which the nozzle hole of the drop discharging head is formed, and to suction the retention liquid out through the nozzle hole; stopping the discharge of the retention liquid upon detecting with a sensor that the sample liquid has reached a position adjacent to the nozzle hole of the cavity; disconnecting the aspiration unit from the nozzle; moving the droplet discharging head above the object; and delivering the sample liquid as droplets onto the object by discharging the sample liquid from the nozzle hole.