Apparatus and method for heating microfluidic volumes and moving fluids

• US 7,049,558 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2004
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Life Technologies Corporation (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Arcturus Bioscience, Inc.
• Inventors: Baer, Thomas M., Reamey, Robert H., Smith, Thomas L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Campbell, Thor S.
• Application Number:
  US10/765,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20050028587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 219/548, 392/459
• US Class Current: 219/548
• 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 2219/00873 Heat exchange
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0095 Control aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00959 Flow
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00961 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/147 Employing temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1827 using resistive heater
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0442 thermal energy, e.g. vaporisation, bubble jet
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5027 by integrated microfluidic structures, i.e. dimensions of channels and chambers are such that surface tension forces are important, e.g. lab-on-a-chip B01L3/5023 takes precedence; micromixers B01F33/30; microreactors for synthesis B01J19/0093; microcapillary devices in general B81B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50851 specially adapted for heating or cooling samples laboratory heating apparatus B01L7/00; incubators C12M
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/52 with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples amplification or hybridisation processes per se C12Q1/68; controlling sequential reactions for synthesis B01J19/0046
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/02 Heaters using heating elements having a positive temperature coefficient
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/10 Heating elements characterised by the composition or nature of the materials or by the arrangement of the conductor

Abstract

A device and method for the temperature control, concentration, volume measurement and transport of microfluidic volumes are provided. The device includes one or more heating elements having a resistive material that varies with temperature. The heating elements are formed into a laminar body that may be formed into a variety of geometries and/or easily married to a second body including micro-well plates, micro-centrifuge tubes and microfluidic circuits.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a laminar body comprising;

a substrate having a first surface and a second surface;

at least one heating element disposed on the first surface;

the heating element comprising;

a first contact and second contact through which electric current enters and leaves the heating element;

a first conductive trace having a first end connected to the first contact;

a second conductive trace having a second end connected to the second contact;

the first conductive trace being patterned in a spaced relation separate from the second conductive trace;

a resistive layer comprising a resistive material having a resistance temperature coefficient such that resistance changes with temperature;

the resistive layer being disposed to permit current to flow from one conductive trace through the resistive material to the other conductive trace according to the temperature-based resistance of the resistive material; and

at least one fluid-receiving location corresponding to the location of the at least one heating element wherein the heating element is in thermal communication with the fluid-receiving location.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the resistance temperature coefficient is positive such that the resistance increases with increasing temperature.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the conductive traces and resistive layer are disposed by printing electrically-conductive and resistive inks.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one heating element is arranged in a concentric pattern.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the laminar body further includes at least one heating element disposed on the second surface of the substrate;

the heating element comprising;

a first contact and second contact through which electric current enters and leaves the heating element;

a first conductive trace having a first end connected to the first contact;

a second conductive trace having a second end connected to the second contact;

the first conductive trace being patterned in a spaced relation separate from the second conductive trace;

a resistive layer comprising a resistive material having a resistance temperature coefficient such that resistance changes with temperature;

the resistive layer being disposed to permit current to flow from one conductive trace through the resistive material to the other conductive trace according to the temperature-based resistance of the resistive material.

6. The device of claim 1 further comprising

a bridge circuit;

the bridge including the heating element and a plurality of other resistors; and

a control circuit for controlling a current in the bridge in such a manner that a predetermined temperature is maintained at the fluid-receiving location.

7. The device of claim 1 further including at least one geometry integrally formed in the laminar body at a location of the fluid-receiving location.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein at least one heating element is positioned along at least a portion of a surface of the geometry.

9. The device of claim 7 wherein at least one heating element is positioned at or above one or more predetermined volume graduation of the geometry.

10. The device of claim 7 wherein the geometry includes a reservoir or channel and the heating element is located adjacent to the reservoir or channel.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein further including a second body in thermal communication with the laminar body;

the second body having at least one geometry configured to receive fluid and formed in the second body at a location corresponding to the fluid-receiving location of the laminar body.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein at least one heating element is positioned along at least a portion of a surface of the geometry.

13. The device of claim 11 wherein at least one heating element is positioned at or above one or more predetermined volume graduation of the geometry.

14. The device of claim 11 wherein the second body is a contact layer.

15. The device of claim 11 wherein the second body is a microfluidic device, a micro-centrifuge tube, or a micro-well plate.

16. The device of claim 11 wherein the laminar body and the second body are formed by a process to integrally marry the laminar body with the second body.

17. The device of claim 1 wherein the first contact and the first conductive trace are the same trace and the second contact and the second conductive trace are the same trace.

18. The device of claim 1 wherein the resistive layer is disposed over the first and second conductive traces electrically connecting the first and second conductive traces.