Microfabricated structures for facilitating fluid introduction into microfluidic devices
First Claim
1. A microfluidic system comprising:
- a pin member having a test fluid contained thereon;
a substrate having a plurality of ports extending from a first surface of said substrate to a second surface of said substrate, each of said plurality of ports being sized to transfer said test fluid from said pin member to said plurality of ports when said pin member is brought into sufficient proximity to said plurality of ports.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Fluid introduction is facilitated through the use of a port which extends entirely through a microfluidic substrate. Capillary forces can be used to retain the fluid within the port, and a series of samples or other fluids may be introduced through a single port by sequentially blowing the fluid out through the substrate and replacing the removed fluid with an alternate fluid, or by displacing the fluid in part with additional fluid. In another aspect, microfluidic substrates have channels which varying in cross-sectional dimension so that capillary action spreads a fluid only within a limited portion of the channel network. In yet another aspect, the introduction ports may include a multiplicity of very small channels leading from the port to a fluid channel, so as to filter out particles or other contaminants which might otherwise block the channel at the junction between the channel and the introduction port.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A microfluidic system comprising:
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a pin member having a test fluid contained thereon;
a substrate having a plurality of ports extending from a first surface of said substrate to a second surface of said substrate, each of said plurality of ports being sized to transfer said test fluid from said pin member to said plurality of ports when said pin member is brought into sufficient proximity to said plurality of ports. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method comprising:
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inserting a pin member into a test fluid so as to retain at least a portion of said test fluid on said pin member;
positioning said pin member in sufficient proximity to a port formed in a substrate to transfer said test fluid from said pin member to said port in response to a capillary force, said port extending through said substrate from a first surface to a second surface.
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Specification