Integrated nanofluidic arrays for high capacity colloid separation

• US 9,700,891 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Joshua T., Wunsch, Benjamin H., Yang, Cornelia T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sines, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US14/940,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20170136460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 422502, 422503, 422504, 422554, 422552, 422553, 422547, 436 43, 436180, 436174, 264650, 29592
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0652 Sorting or classification of particles or molecules
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0861 Configuration of multiple channels and/or chambers in a single devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0874 Three dimensional network
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0887 Laminated structure
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0896 Nanoscaled
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0415 electrical forces, e.g. electrokinetic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0433 vibrational forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/049 vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/086 using baffles or other fixed flow obstructions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• 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 3/502753 characterised by bulk separation arrangements on lab-on-a-chip devices, e.g. for filtration or centrifugation separation in general B01D; microapparatus for analysis using electrophoresis G01N27/44791; sample preparation G01N1/28
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502761 specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads, for physically stretching molecules investigating characteristics of particles G01N15/00

Abstract

A technique relates to an integrated nanofluidic device. A loading layer includes an inlet channel reservoir, a diverted fraction reservoir, and a passed fraction reservoir. A sorting layer is attached to the loading layer such that fluid is permitted to communicate between the loading and sorting layers, where the sorting layer includes a bank of sorting elements. The sorting layer has inlet channels and outlet channels connected to the sorting elements, and the inlet channel reservoir is connected to the inlet channels by an inlet feed hole. The diverted fraction reservoir is connected to the outlet channels by a diverted fraction outlet feed hole, and the passed fraction reservoir is connected to the sorting elements by passed fraction feed holes. The passed fraction feed holes are respectively connected to the sorting elements.

Claims

1. A method of configuring an integrated nanofluidic device, the method comprising:

providing a loading layer, as a single layer, including an inlet channel reservoir, a diverted fraction reservoir, and a passed fraction reservoir; and

attaching a sorting layer, as another single layer, to the loading layer such that fluid is permitted to directly communicate between the loading and sorting layers, the sorting layer including a bank of sorting elements, wherein the sorting layer has inlet channels and outlet channels connected to the sorting elements, wherein the inlet channel reservoir is connected to the inlet channels by an inlet feed hole, wherein the diverted fraction reservoir is connected to the outlet channels by a diverted fraction outlet feed hole, and wherein the passed fraction reservoir is connected to the sorting elements by passed fraction feed holes, the passed fraction feed holes respectively connected to the sorting elements, wherein the loading layer and the sorting layer are directly attached to one another thereby forming two layers, wherein the inlet feed hole and the diverted fraction outlet feed hole are both in the sorting layer.

2. A method of configuring an integrated nanofluidic device, the method comprising:

providing a loading layer, as a single layer, including an inlet channel reservoir, an inlet vias reservoir, a diverted fraction reservoir, and a passed fraction reservoir; and

arranging a sorting layer, as another single layer, attached to the loading layer such that fluid is permitted to directly communicate between the loading and sorting layers, the sorting layer including a bank of sorting elements, wherein the sorting layer has inlet channels and outlet channels connected to the sorting elements, wherein the inlet channel reservoir is connected to the inlet channels by an inlet feed hole, wherein the diverted fraction reservoir is connected to the outlet channels by a diverted fraction outlet feed hole, wherein the passed fraction reservoir is connected to the sorting elements by passed fraction feed holes, the passed fraction feed holes respectively connected to the sorting elements, and wherein the inlet vias reservoir is connected to the sorting elements by inlet via holes, wherein the loading layer and the sorting layer are directly attached to one another thereby forming two layers, wherein the inlet feed hole and the diverted fraction outlet feed hole are both in the sorting layer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sorting elements each include a nanopillar array configured to sort particles.