Microfluidic system including a bubble valve for regulating fluid flow through a microchannel

• US 20060278288A1
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cytonome/St, Llc (Cytonome Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cytonome Inc.
• Inventors: Deshpande, Manish, Bohm, Sebastian, Gilbert, John Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,210,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/827
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0636 Focussing flows, e.g. to laminate flows
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0647 Handling flowable solids, e.g. microscopic beads, cells, particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/089 Virtual walls for guiding liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0415 electrical forces, e.g. electrokinetic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/06 Valves, specific forms thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0688 surface tension valves, capillary stop, capillary break
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/082 Active control of flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502738 characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502761 specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads, for physically stretching molecules investigating characteristics of particles G01N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502776 specially adapted for focusing or laminating flows
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/34 Sorting according to other particular properties material testing per se G01N; quality control G07C3/14
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 2099/0074 using photolithography, e.g. etching
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 2099/008 Multi-layer fabrications
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 2099/0084 Chemistry or biology, e.g. "lab-on-a-chip" technology
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/0001 Microvalves microdevices B81B1/00; manufacture or treatment of devices or systems in or on a substrate B81C1/00; microfluidic structures B01L3/5027; micropumps F04B19/006
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/0017 Capillary or surface tension valves, e.g. using electro-wetting or electro-capillarity effects
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/0019 Valves using a microdroplet or microbubble as the valve member
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/0034 Operating means specially adapted for microvalves
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/0036 : operated by temperature variations
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/004 : using radiation
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/0046 : using magnets
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/0048 : using piezoelectric means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/149 : specially adapted for sorting particles, e.g. by their size or optical properties
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/149 : Sorting the particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 : Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0396 : Involving pressure control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0497 : Fluid actuated or retarded
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2076 : Utilizing diverse fluids
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2082 : Utilizing particular fluid
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2191 : By non-fluid energy field affecting input [e.g., transducer]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2196 : Acoustical or thermal energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2202 : By movable element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2207 : Operating at timed intervals [e.g., to produce pulses]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2213 : Electrically-actuated element [e.g., electro-mechanical transducer]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2224 : Structure of body of device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49405 : Valve or choke making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/143333 : Saccharide [e.g., DNA, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25375 : Liberation or purification of sample or separation of material from a sample [e.g., filtering, centrifuging, etc.]

Abstract

A microfluidic system includes a bubble valve for regulating fluid flow through a microchannel. The bubble valve includes a fluid meniscus interfacing the microchannel interior and an actuator for deflecting the membrane into the microchannel interior to regulate fluid flow. The actuator generates a gas bubble in a liquid in the microchannel when a sufficient pressure is generated on the membrane.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. An electrokinetic column to column switch, comprising:

a first electrokinetically operated microchannel;

a second electrokinetically operated microchannel in communication with the first electrokinetically operated microchannel; and

a bubble valve for selectively blocking flow from the first electrokinetically operated microchannel to the second electrokinetically operated microchannel by selectively injecting a bubble into a microchannel.