Microfluidic systems incorporating varied channel dimensions

• US 6,186,660 B1
• Filed: 07/26/1999
• Issued: 02/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caliper Life Sciences Incorporated (Revvity, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Caliper Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Parce, John Wallace, Kopf-Sill, Anne R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SOOHOO, TONY GLEN
• Application Number:
  US09/360,784
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 366/336, 366/337, 366/338, 366/339, 366/340, 366/341, 422/81, 422/100, 436/52, 436/174, 436/179, 436/180, 435/288.4, 435/288.5, 204/450, 204/451, 138/177, 138/178, 138/140, 138/42, 216/2
• US Class Current: 366/340
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/30 Micromixers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0093 Microreactors, e.g. miniaturised or microfabricated reactors laboratory containers with capillary fluid transport in microfabricated channels or chambers B01L3/5027
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00783 Laminate assemblies, i.e. the reactor comprising a stack of plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0086 Dimensions of the flow channels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00889 Mixing micromixers B01F33/30
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0867 Multiple inlets and one sample wells, e.g. mixing, dilution
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0415 electrical forces, e.g. electrokinetic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/084 Passive control of flow resistance
• 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 3/502746 characterised by the means for controlling flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers, baffles B01L3/502738 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502776 specially adapted for focusing or laminating flows
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/44791 Microapparatus sample containers with integrated microfluidic structures B01L3/5027
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 366/01 Micromixers: continuous laminar flow with laminar boundary mixing in the linear direction parallel to the fluid propagation with or without conduit geometry influences from the pathway
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 366/02 Micromixers: segmented laminar flow with boundary mixing orthogonal to the direction of fluid propagation with or without geometry influences from the pathway
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 366/03 Micromixers: variable geometry from the pathway influences mixing/agitation of non-laminar fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

Microfluidic devices, systems and methods of using same which incorporate channels where some portion or all of the channels have aspect ratios less than 1. Devices with such channel dimensions are optionally configured to provide uniform flow rates through the channels.

Claims

1. A microfluidic device comprising a body structure having at least one microchannel fabricated therein, wherein the at least one microchannel comprises a first microchannel portion comprising a first aspect ratio and a second microchannel portion comprising a second aspect ratio, wherein the first and second aspect ratios are different and at least one of the first or the second aspect ratio (width:

depth) is less than 1.

2. The device of claim 1, the first or second microchannel portion comprising a turning portion.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first microchannel portion comprises a turning portion, and the second microchannel portion is adjacent to the first microchannel portion, which second microchannel portion is a straight portion of the at least one microchannel.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the turning portion is deeper and narrower than the straight portion.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the first and second channel regions are configured to provide a substantially uniform rate of material flow in both the first and second channel regions.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first microchannel portion comprises an outer edge of a turning microchannel portion and the second microchannel portion comprises an inside edge of a turning microchannel portion, such that a depth of the first microchannel portion is shallower than a depth of the second microchannel portion.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the aspect ratios of the first and second microchannel portions provide a substantially uniform rate of material flow in both the first and second microchannel portions during controlled material transport.

8. The device of claims 1, the first microchannel portion comprising a microchannel turning portion, which microchannel turning portion comprises a microchannel corner comprising a directional change of at least about 30°

.

9. The device of claim 1, the first microchannel portion comprising a microchannel turning portion, which microchannel turning portion comprises a microchannel corner comprising a directional change of at least about 45°

.

10. The device of claim 1, the first microchannel portion comprising a microchannel turning portion, which microchannel turning portion comprises a microchannel corner comprising a directional change of at least about 90°

.

11. The device of claim 1, the first microchannel portion comprising a microchannel turning portion, which microchannel turning portion comprises a microchannel corner comprising a directional change of at least about 150°

.

12. The device of claim 1, the first microchannel portion comprising a microchannel turning portion, which microchannel turning portion comprises a microchannel corner comprising a directional change of at least about 180°

.

13. The device of claim 1, the first microchannel portion comprising a microchannel turning portion, which microchannel turning portion comprises 1, 2, 3, 4 or more comers.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the aspect ratio of the first or second microchannel portion is about 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3 or 0.5.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the first microchannel comprises an interior surface comprising an upper surface, which upper surface comprises less than ¼

of the interior surface of the first microchannel.

16. The device of claim 1, comprising at least a second microchannel, which second microchannel intersects the first microchannel.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the intersection of the first microchannel and the second microchannel comprises a T intersection or a crossing intersection.

18. The device of claim 1, further comprising an electrical control system operably coupled to first and second ends of the at least one microchannel so as to controllably direct material flow through the first and second microchannel portions.

19. The device of claim 1, the first microscale channel comprising at least one cross-sectional dimension between about 0.1 μ

M and about 500 μ

M.

20. The device of claim 1, the first microscale channel comprising at least one cross-sectional dimension between about 0.1 μ

M and about 100 μ

M.

21. The device of claim 1, the first microscale channel comprising at least one cross-sectional dimension between about 0.1 μ

M and about 20 μ

M.

22. The device of claim 1, the first microscale channel comprising at least one cross-sectional dimension between about 2 μ

M and about 50 μ

M.

23. The device of claim 1, the first microscale channel comprising at least one cross-sectional dimension between about 10 μ

M and about 200 μ

M.

24. The device of claim 1, the first microscale channel comprising at least one cross-sectional dimension between about 5 μ

M and about 20 μ

M.

25. The device of claim 1, the first microchannel comprising a microchannel mixing portion, which microchannel mixing portion is between about 0.1 mm and 10 mm in length.

26. The device of claim 1, the first microchannel comprising a microchannel mixing portion, which microchannel mixing portion is between about 0.1 mm and 3 mm in length.

27. The device of claim 1, wherein the first microchannel comprises a microchannel mixing portion, and the second microchannel comprises an adjacent microchannel portion.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the microchannel mixing portion is deeper and narrower than the adjacent microchannel portion.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein hydrodynamic and electrical resistance in the microchannel mixing portion and the adjacent microchannel portion are substantially the same.

30. The device of claim 1, the body structure comprising an aggregation of two or more layers.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein the first microchannel is fabricated by producing a groove in a first substrate corresponding to a first of the two or more layers and covering the grove with a second substrate corresponding to a second of the two or more layers.

32. The device of claim 1, wherein the body structure comprises at least one of:

glass, quartz, silicon, polysilicon, a polymer, a plastic, polymethylmethacrylate, polycarbonate, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylchloride, polydimethylsiloxane, and polysulfone.

33. The device of claim 1, comprising one or more fluid in the channel.

34. The device of claim 33, the fluid comprising a nucleic acid or a protein.

35. The device of claim 1, wherein the first channel is one member of an array of interconnected channels disposed within the body structure.

36. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second microchannel portions are contiguous.

37. The device of claim 36, wherein the aspect ratios of the first and second microchannel portions comprise dimensions that provide a constant flow rate of fluid in both the first and second microchannel portions.