Connecting Scheme for Orthogonal Assembly of Microstructures
First Claim
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1. A device comprising:
- a substrate with at least one cavity, wherein the substrate and the cavity have at least an insulating surface;
at least one microstructure comprising a connector part and at least one shaft, the connector part being inserted in said cavity, the microstructure comprising at least one conductive area extending at least partially on the connector part and at least partially on the shaft;
at least one flexible conductive blade at the cavity, a first part of the conductive blade being outside the cavity and a second part being inside the cavity between the connector part and a sidewall of the cavity, such that the conductive blade is in electrical contact with the conductive area of the microstructure.
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Abstract
In the present disclosure a device for sensing and/or actuation purposes is presented in which microstructures (20) comprising shafts (2) with different functionality and dimensions can be inserted in a modular way. That way, out-of-plane connectivity, mechanical clamping between the microstructures (20) and a substrate (1) of the device, and electrical connection between electrodes (5) on the microstructures (20) and the substrate (1) can be realized. Connections to external circuitry can be realised. Microfluidic channels (10) in the microstructures (20) can be connected to external equipment. A method to fabricate and assemble the device is provided.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A device comprising:
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a substrate with at least one cavity, wherein the substrate and the cavity have at least an insulating surface; at least one microstructure comprising a connector part and at least one shaft, the connector part being inserted in said cavity, the microstructure comprising at least one conductive area extending at least partially on the connector part and at least partially on the shaft; at least one flexible conductive blade at the cavity, a first part of the conductive blade being outside the cavity and a second part being inside the cavity between the connector part and a sidewall of the cavity, such that the conductive blade is in electrical contact with the conductive area of the microstructure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 39, 40)
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17. A method comprising:
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obtaining a substrate with at least one cavity, the substrate and the cavity having an insulating surface, the substrate further having at least one flexible conductive blade near each cavity, said conductive blade partially overhanging the cavity; obtaining at least one microstructure comprising a connector part, at least one shaft, and at least one conductive area extending at least partially on the connector part and at least partially on the shaft, the connector part being shaped such as to fit into the cavity, the conductive area being located so as to contact the conductive blade upon insertion of the connector part into the cavity; inserting the connector part of the microstructure into the cavity, thereby bending the conductive blade in the cavity and realizing electrical contact between the conductive blade and the conductive area; and fixing the connector part inside the cavity. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 41, 42)
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27. A device comprising:
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a substrate having a plurality of cavities; a plurality of flexible conductive blades on the substrate, each of these conductive blades extending into a cavity; and a plurality of microstructures, each microstructure comprising a connector part and a shaft; wherein the connector part of each microstructure extends into one of the cavities and is resiliently engaged by at least one of the conductive blades, and the shaft of each microstructure extends above the surface of the substrate; and wherein at least one of the microstructures is a probe that includes at least one electrode on the shaft and at least one connector pad on the connector part, the connector pad being electrically connected to the electrode and to at least one of the conductive blades. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 43, 44)
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Specification