A simple, rapid, and efficient method for the covalent binding of oligonucleotides to solid glass supports was developed. Glass slides were derivatized with aminophenyl or aminopropyl silanes and 5'-succinylated target oligonucleotides were attached by carbodiimide-mediated coupling. Approximately 40 to 50% of the applied target oligonucleotides covalently bound to the derivatized glass. Hybridizations with radioactively labeled oligonucleotide probes showed that up to 90% of the attached oligonucleotides were available for hybridization. This system can conveniently be applied for studies on hybridization and detection of nucleic acids.