Droplet actuator devices comprising removable cartridges and methods

• US 9,707,579 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2016
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Liquid Logic, Inc. (Illumina Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Liquid Logic, Inc. (Illumina Incorporated)
• Inventors: Winger, Theodore
• Primary Examiner(s): JACKSON, JUANITA DIONNE
• Application Number:
  US15/099,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20160228893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0427 Electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502792 for moving individual droplets on a plate, e.g. by locally altering surface tension
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 5/087 Arrangements of electrodes, e.g. of charging, shielding, collecting electrodes B05B5/12, B05B5/14 take precedence; arrangements of electrodes on the discharge apparatus B05B5/0533
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1606 Coating the nozzle area or the ink chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14322 Print head without nozzle
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14395 Electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31504 Composite [nonstructural laminate]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/3154 Of fluorinated addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31855 Of addition polymer from unsaturated monomers

Abstract

A microfluidic device having a substrate with an electrically conductive element made using a conductive ink layer underlying a hydrophobic layer.

Claims

1. A droplet actuator device for conducting droplet operations, comprising:

(a) a bottom substrate and a removable top substrate;

(b) an array of droplet operations electrodes arranged on the bottom substrate; and

wherein the top substrate comprises a self-contained replaceable/removable cartridge for a droplet actuator-based assay; and

wherein the cartridge further comprises a dielectric layer interfacing with the droplet operations electrodes of the bottom substrate; and

wherein the dielectric layer is replaceable/removable.

2. A droplet actuator device, for conducting droplet operations, comprising:

(a) a bottom substrate and a removable top substrate;

(b) an array of droplet operations electrodes arranged on the bottom substrate; and

wherein the top substrate comprises a self-contained replaceable/removable cartridge for a droplet actuator-based assay; and

wherein the cartridge further comprises a dielectric layer interfacing with the droplet operations electrodes of the bottom substrate; and

wherein the dielectric layer is patterned to a desired topology that corresponds to a certain arrangement of droplet operations electrodes on the bottom substrate.

3. A droplet actuator device for conducting droplet operations, comprising:

(a) a bottom substrate region and a top substrate region;

(b) a hinge region comprising a flexible substrate connecting the bottom substrate region and the top substrate region;

(c) an array or path of droplet operations electrodes arranged on the bottom substrate region;

(d) a dielectric layer selectively disposed atop the droplet operations electrodes; and

(e) wherein the hinge region provides a mechanism to fold top substrate region into proximity of bottom substrate region to form a first closed cartridge position, and also provides a mechanism to unfold the top substrate region from the bottom substrate region to form a second open cartridge position.

4. The droplet actuator device of claim 3, wherein the top substrate region further comprises a ground electrode arranged thereon.

5. The droplet actuator device of claim 4, further comprising a rigid layer disposed on a surface that is opposite the droplet operations electrodes and ground electrode and excludes hinge region.

6. The droplet actuator device of claim 3, further comprising a hydrophobic layer disposed as a final layer atop the bottom substrate region, top substrate region, and hinge region.

7. The droplet actuator device of claim 3, wherein the dielectric layers comprises an adhesive backed polyimide.

8. The droplet actuator device of claim 3, wherein the top substrate region comprises a self-contained replaceable/removable cartridge.