Patent ID: 7276336

Claim:
A method of fabricating an addressable array of biopolymer probes on a substrate according to a target array pattern using a deposition apparatus which, when operated according to a target drive pattern based on nominal operating parameters of the apparatus and determined by a processor in communication with the deposition apparatus, provides the probes on the substrate in the target array pattern, the method comprising: (a) examining at least one operating parameter for an error from a nominal value which error will result in use of the target drive pattern producing a discrepancy between the target array pattern and an actual array pattern deposited; (b) when an error is detected deriving, based on the error, a corrected drive pattern different from the target drive pattern such that use of the corrected drive pattern results in a reduced discrepancy between the target and actual array patterns; and (c) operating the deposition apparatus according to the corrected drive pattern so as to fabricate the array; wherein; the deposition apparatus includes a dispensing head to dispense fluid droplets containing the probes or probe precursors, and a transport system to move at least one of the dispensing head and substrate relative to the other as the droplets are dispensed from the head, so as to form the array; the drive pattern controls operation of the transport system; and the operating parameter is the position of the dispensing head, which is examined by viewing the dispensing head.