Applications and challenges of plasma processes in nanobiotechnology

We present an overview of the possibilities offered by plasma technologies, in particular the combination plasma polymers deposition, colloidal lithography, e-beam lithography and microcontact printing, to produce micro- and nanostructured surfaces with chemical and topographical contrast for applications in nanobiotechnology. It is shown that chemical and topographical patterns can be obtained on different substrates, with dimensions down to a few tenths of 10 nm. The applications of these nanostructured surfaces in biology, biochemistry and biodetection are presented and the advantages and limitation of the plasma techniques in this context underlined.