Method, apparatus and article for microfluidic control via electrowetting, for chemical, biochemical and biological assays and the like
First Claim
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1. A microfluidic system, comprising:
- a substrate;
an array of drive electrodes carried by the substrate;
a dielectric carried by the substrate, overlying at least a portion of the array of drive electrodes;
a fluid compatibility layer overlying the array of drive electrodes; and
at least one ground electrode carried by the substrate, overlying at least a portion of the dielectric to provide a ground potential to at least one fluidic body.
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Abstract
An microfluidic platform employs a two-dimensional matrix array of drive electrodes and at least one ground line on a bottom substrate, eliminating the need for a top plate or cover, to allow easy access to the active surface of the microfluidic platform. The open microfluidic platform may, for example, allow the depositing of samples via an array of pipettes or other automated deliver systems, and/or the use of standard video equipment to focus on the active surface to track positions of fluid bodies. A user may move fluid bodies and perform operations in real time and/or create animation files for later execution using a pointing device and a display device such as a monitor.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A microfluidic system, comprising:
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a substrate;
an array of drive electrodes carried by the substrate;
a dielectric carried by the substrate, overlying at least a portion of the array of drive electrodes;
a fluid compatibility layer overlying the array of drive electrodes; and
at least one ground electrode carried by the substrate, overlying at least a portion of the dielectric to provide a ground potential to at least one fluidic body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of forming a microfluidic structure for manipulating at least one fluid body, the method comprising:
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providing a first plate;
forming an array of drive electrodes overlying at least a portion of the first plate, the drive electrodes having a dimension less than a lateral dimension of the at least one fluid body;
forming a fluid compatibility layer overlying the array of drive electrodes; and
forming at least one ground electrode carried by the substrate and positioned to provide a ground potential to the at least one fluid body. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A microfluidic system, comprising:
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a substrate;
an array of drive electrodes carried by the substrate;
a fluid compatibility layer overlying the array of drive electrodes; and
at least one ground electrode carried by the substrate, positioned with respect to the fluid compatibility layer so as to provide a ground potential to at least one fluidic body. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of operating a microfluidic system, comprising:
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determining a position of a cursor on a display;
receiving a first user selection;
identifying at least one of a position and a number of fluid bodies based on the position of the cursor in response to receiving the first user selection; and
producing at least one instruction for driving at least one of a number of drive electrodes and a number of ground electrodes based on the identification. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification