Method and systems for microfluidic logic devices

Inventors

Devaraju, Naga Gopi • Unger, Marc A.

Assignees

Standard Biotools Inc

Abstract

A microfluidic system includes a substrate, a set of input ports coupled to the substrate, and a set of output ports coupled to the substrate. The microfluidic system also includes a microfluidic processing system coupled to the substrate and including a plurality of processing sites. The microfluidic processing system is coupled to the set of input ports and the set of output ports. The microfluidic system further includes one or more microfluidic logic devices coupled to the substrate and operable to control at least a portion of the microfluidic processing system.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to microfluidic logic devices and systems implemented with pressure-actuated multilayer-valve structures, including a static gain valve (MGV). The MGV includes a substrate layer, a control layer coupled to the substrate layer, and a flow layer coupled to the control layer. The control layer includes a control channel characterized by a control pressure and a control membrane, while the flow layer includes a flow channel characterized by a flow channel pressure and a flow layer membrane deflected across the flow channel to contact the control membrane with a static pressure in a closed state.

In the disclosed static gain valve, the flow channel pressure at which the MGV transitions to an open state is a function of the static pressure and the control pressure. The static pressure is characterized as a built-in/static pressure that is present in the closed state via membrane contact, and the valve behavior is characterized by static-gain behavior based on the relationship among the flow pressure, the control pressure, and the built-in static pressure. This enables fluidic digital logic operations such as NOT, NAND, and NOR.

The system architecture couples microfluidic logic devices to a microfluidic processing system that includes input/output ports and multiple processing sites. The logic devices are described as cascadable and capable of feedback, supporting bistability and gated flip-flops, including delay flip-flops (D flip-flops), latches, oscillators, and shift registers.

Claims Coverage

The partial content identifies one independent claim (clm-00001) directed to the microfluidic device structure and its switching threshold, with dependent claims adding specific functional relationships, quantitative constraints, and logic-gate integration features. Across the cited claims, the coverage centers on a static gain valve (MGV) whose open-transition threshold is functionally determined by static pressure and control pressure, and on integrating the MGV into logic gates such as NOT.

The claim coverage in the provided material focuses on an MGV-based microfluidic device where switching to the open state is determined by a functional relationship between static pressure and control pressure, with additional refinements defining the static gain via a pressure ratio, generating static pressure through membrane contact, imposing a quantitative static-pressure threshold, and integrating the MGV into a NOT gate.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications