BAW SENSOR WITH PASSIVE MIXING STRUCTURES

• US 20170138935A1
• Filed: 11/16/2016
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo Biotechnologies, LLC (Zomedica Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rivas, Rio
• Granted Patent: US 10,371,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/431 Straight mixing tubes with baffles or obstructions that do not cause substantial pressure drop; Baffles therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/4317 Profiled elements, e.g. profiled blades, bars, pillars, columns or chevrons
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/431971 Mounted on the wall
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 31/841 with a vibrating element inside the tube
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/30 Micromixers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0636 Integrated biosensor, microarrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0645 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0819 Microarrays; Biochips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0436 acoustic forces, e.g. surface acoustic waves [SAW]
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/086 using baffles or other fixed flow obstructions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502707 characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components by shaping or joining plastic parts B29C59/00, B29C65/00; by laminating B32B37/00; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/014 Resonance or resonant frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0255 (Bio)chemical reactions, e.g. on biosensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0256 Adsorption, desorption, surface mass change, e.g. on biosensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0426 Bulk waves, e.g. quartz crystal microbalance, torsional waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/022 Fluid sensors based on microsensors, e.g. quartz crystal-microbalance [QCM], surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices, tuning forks, cantilevers, flexural plate wave [FPW] devices microdevices per se B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/222 Constructional or flow details for analysing fluids optoacoustic fluid cells G01N29/2425
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/175 : Acoustic mirrors

Abstract

A fluidic device includes a base structure, a wall structure, and a cover structure bounding a fluidic passage containing a functionalized active region of at least one bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator structure. One or more of the wall structure, the cover structure, or a portion of the base structure includes multiple features (e.g., protrusions and/or recesses) configured to interact with fluid flowing within the fluidic passage to promote mixing between constituents of the fluid. Methods for fabricating a fluidic device, as well as methods for biological or chemical sensing using a fluidic device, are further provided.

Claims

1. A fluidic device comprising:

a base structure comprising;

(i) a substrate;

(ii) at least one bulk acoustic wave resonator structure supported by the substrate, the at least one bulk acoustic wave resonator structure including a piezoelectric material, a top side electrode arranged over a portion of the piezoelectric material, and a bottom side electrode arranged below at least a portion of the piezoelectric material, wherein a portion of the piezoelectric material is arranged between the top side electrode and the bottom side electrode to form an active region; and

(iii) at least one functionalization material arranged over at least a portion of the active region;

a wall structure arranged over at least a portion of the base structure and defining lateral boundaries of a fluidic passage containing the active region and being configured to receive a fluid comprising multiple constituents; and

a cover structure arranged over the wall structure and defining an upper boundary of the fluidic passage;

wherein the base structure defines a lower boundary of the fluidic passage; and

wherein one or more of the wall structure, the cover structure, or a portion of the base structure non-coincident with the active region comprises a plurality of features configured to interact with fluid flowing within the fluidic passage to promote mixing between constituents of the fluid.

2. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of features is defined in or on the wall structure.

3. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of features is defined in or on the cover structure.

4. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of features is defined in or on a portion of the base structure non-coincident with the active region.

5. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of features comprises a plurality of recesses or a plurality of protrusions.

6. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the wall structure and the cover structure are embodied in a monolithic body structure.

7. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the wall structure and the base structure are embodied in a monolithic body structure.

8. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the cover structure comprises a cover layer, the wall structure comprises at least one wall layer, and the at least one wall layer is arranged between the base structure and the cover layer.

9. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one bulk acoustic wave resonator structure comprises a plurality of bulk acoustic wave resonator structures.

10. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the base structure further comprises at least one acoustic reflector element arranged between the substrate and the at least one bulk acoustic wave resonator structure.

11. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the substrate defines a recess arranged below the active region.

12. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric material comprises a c-axis having an orientation distribution that is predominantly non-parallel to normal of a face of the substrate.

13. The fluidic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one functionalization material comprises a specific binding material or a non-specific binding material.

14. The fluidic device of claim 1, further comprising a self-assembled monolayer arranged between the at least one functionalization material and the top side electrode.

15. The fluidic device of claim 14, further comprising an interface layer arranged between the self-assembled monolayer and the top side electrode.

16. The fluidic device of claim 15, further comprising a hermeticity layer arranged between the interface layer and the top side electrode.

17. A method for biological or chemical sensing, the method comprising:

supplying a fluid containing an analyte into the fluidic passage of the fluidic device according to claim 1, wherein said supplying is configured to cause at least some of the analyte to bind to the at least one functionalization material;

inducing a bulk acoustic wave in the active region; and

sensing a change in at least one of an amplitude-magnitude property, a frequency property, or a phase property of the at least one bulk acoustic wave resonator structure to indicate at least one of presence or quantity of target species bound to the at least one functionalization material.

18. A method for fabricating a fluidic device, the method comprising:

forming a base structure including at least one bulk acoustic wave resonator structure supported by a substrate, wherein the at least one bulk acoustic wave resonator structure includes a piezoelectric material, a top side electrode is arranged over a portion of the piezoelectric material, a bottom side electrode is arranged below at least a portion of the piezoelectric material, and a portion of the piezoelectric material is arranged between the top side electrode and the bottom side electrode to form an active region;

forming a wall structure over at least a portion of the base structure and defining lateral boundaries of a fluidic passage containing the active region and being configured to receive a fluid comprising multiple constituents;

forming a cover structure arranged over the wall structure and defining an upper boundary of the fluidic passage, wherein a lower boundary of the fluidic passage is defined by the base structure; and

depositing at least one functionalization material over the active region;

wherein at least one of (i) formation of the base structure, (ii) formation of the wall structure, or (iii) formation of the cover structure comprises forming a plurality of features configured to interact with fluid flowing within the fluidic passage to promote mixing between constituents of the fluid, and the plurality of features comprises at least one of a plurality of recesses or a plurality of protrusions.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the forming of a plurality of features configured to interact with fluid flowing within the fluidic passage comprises removing material of one or more of the wall structure, the cover structure, or the base structure via a subtractive material removal process.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the forming of a plurality of features configured to interact with fluid flowing within the fluidic passage comprises adding material to one or more of the wall structure, the cover structure, or the base structure via an additive manufacturing process.