Single use microfluidic valve

• US 9,127,782 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), Université Grenoble Alpes
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), Universite Joseph Fourier
• Inventors: Basrour, Skandar, Berthier, Jean, Pouteau, Patrick, Allain, Marjolaine
• Primary Examiner(s): Murphy, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARRY, DAPHNE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US12/766,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20100276005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,964 Days
• Field of Search: 137/67, 137/72, 137/74, 137/75, 604/6.1, 604/34, 604 9901- 9904, 604246-256
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0677 phase change valves; Meltable, freezing, dissolvable plugs; Destructible barriers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502738 characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 2099/0084 Chemistry or biology, e.g. "lab-on-a-chip" technology
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 2099/0086 Medical applications
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/0001 Microvalves microdevices B81B1/00; manufacture or treatment of devices or systems in or on a substrate B81C1/00; microfluidic structures B01L3/5027; micropumps F04B19/006
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/003 Valves for single use only
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/0044 using thermo-electric means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/1797 Heat destructible or fusible

Abstract

A microfluidic valve including a microchannel, a membrane arranged so as to seal off the microchannel and equipped with resistive units, characterized in that at least one face of the membrane includes at least one groove, and in that the resistive units are arranged in the groove and are capable, when an electric control current flows through them, of expanding sufficiently under the effect of the heat produced by the flow of the electric current to cause the rupture of at least one part of the membrane.

Claims

1. A microfluidic valve comprising:

a substrate;

a microchannel within said substrate;

a membrane arranged on said substrate so as to seal off said microchannel, said membrane including a resistive element, and at least one face of said membrane including at least one groove forming a predetermined area of weakness, said groove extending at least in part directly opposite said microchannel,

wherein said resistive element is arranged in and extends through said groove such that, when an electric control current flows through said resistive element, said resistive element expands due to an effect of heat produced by the flow of said electric control current to cause a rupture of at least one part of said membrane.

2. The microfluidic valve according to claim 1, wherein

said groove comprises two lateral faces substantially opposite to each other, delimiting a width of the groove, and connected to each other by a lower face, and

said resistive element is in at least partial contact with said lateral faces and said lower face.

3. The microfluidic valve according to claim 1, further comprising an electric control current source connected to said resistive element.

4. The microfluidic valve according to claim 3, wherein the electric control current source controls current by electromagnetic induction, the electric control current source including a coil connected to said resistive element.

5. The microfluidic valve according to claim 1, wherein

said resistive element is made of a material having a first coefficient of thermal expansion, and

said membrane is made of a material having a second coefficient of thermal expansion substantially less than the first coefficient of thermal expansion.

6. The microfluidic valve according to claim 1, wherein said groove has an average depth between 0.2 and 0.8 times an average thickness of said membrane.

7. The microfluidic valve according to claim 1, wherein said resistive element is made of a material chosen among gold, platinum, aluminium, manganese, zinc, nickel, inconel 600, chromium, copper, and polysilicon.

8. The microfluidic valve according to claim 1, wherein said membrane is made of a material chosen among Si₃N₄, SiO₂, and SiN.

9. The microfluidic valve according to claim 1, wherein said at least one face of the membrane is opposite to said microchannel.

10. A microfluidic device comprising:

the microfluidic valve according to any one of claims 1 to 9; and

a reservoir of fluid being connected to said microchannel.

11. A method for opening a microfluidic valve according to any of claims 1 to 9, comprising supplying an electrical energy of about 0.015 mJ to said resistive element.

12. The microfluidic valve according to claim 1, wherein a direction of a depth of said groove extends directly toward said microchannel.