Segmented top plate for variable driving and short protection for digital microfluidics
Inventors
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Assignees
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NucleraNuclera develops automated benchtop platforms and integrated systems for rapid protein expression, optimization, and purification, utilizing cell-free synthesis, digital microfluidics, and software-driven workflows. Their technology enables miniaturized and scalable protein prototyping—including challenging targets such as membrane proteins—directly at the lab bench. Nuclera serves academic and industrial researchers, focusing on reducing turnaround time for functional protein access and streamlining screening and production. The company has secured significant funding to enable broad commercialization, expanded their leadership team to support scale-up, and continues to drive advancements in drug discovery, proteomics, and experimental automation.
Nuclera develops automated benchtop platforms and integrated systems for rapid protein expression, optimization, and purification, utilizing cell-free synthesis, digital microfluidics, and software-driven workflows. Their technology enables miniaturized and scalable protein prototyping—including challenging targets such as membrane proteins—directly at the lab bench. Nuclera serves academic and industrial researchers, focusing on reducing turnaround time for functional protein access and streamlining screening and production. The company has secured significant funding to enable broad commercialization, expanded their leadership team to support scale-up, and continues to drive advancements in drug discovery, proteomics, and experimental automation.
Publication Number
US-11596946-B2
Publication Date
2023-03-07
Expiration Date
Abstract
A digital microfluidic device, comprising a bottom plate and a top plate. The bottom plate comprises a bottom electrode array comprising a plurality of digital microfluidic propulsion electrodes. The top plate comprises a segmented top electrode array comprising a plurality of separately voltage addressable top electrode segments. Each top electrode segment and at least two of the propulsion electrodes of the bottom electrode array form a zone within the device. A controller is operatively coupled to the top electrode array and to the bottom electrode array and is configured to provide propulsion voltages between the top plate segment and the bottom plate propulsion electrodes of at least one of the zones. The top plate and the bottom plate are provided in a spaced relationship defining a microfluidic region therebetween.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a digital microfluidic device comprising a bottom plate and a top plate, wherein the bottom plate comprises a bottom electrode array comprising a plurality of digital microfluidic propulsion electrodes and a first dielectric layer covering the bottom electrode array, and wherein the top plate comprises a segmented top electrode array comprising a plurality of separately voltage addressable top electrode segments and a second dielectric layer covering the top electrode array. Each top electrode segment and at least two of the bottom plate propulsion electrodes form a zone within the device, a controller is operatively coupled to the top electrode array and to the bottom electrode array and is configured to provide propulsion voltages between the separately voltage addressable top electrode segments and the plurality of digital microfluidic propulsion electrodes in at least one of the zones, and the top plate and the bottom plate are provided in a spaced relationship defining a microfluidic region therebetween to permit droplet motion within the microfluidic region under application of propulsion voltages.
The background describes limitations of traditional direct driving devices and the high cost and limited availability of polysilicon fabrication for active matrix EWoD devices, creating a need for alternate designs that can take advantage of existing amorphous silicon fabrication capacity and permit higher performance and greater addressability. The patent further identifies that defects in a bottom array of propulsion electrodes can induce current flows that force the top plate potential to change and thereby ruin a microfluidic device or microfluidic operation, motivating architectures that isolate or contain such defects.
The segmented top plate architecture allows multiple top plane potentials to be set independently in different zones of the device so that multiple simultaneous voltage ranges may be achieved on neighboring pixels to suit differing driving requirements or functional zones, and enables turning off damaged zones to contain damage and allow the remainder of the device to continue operating. The application also describes tailoring zone characteristics, including differing dielectric properties and voltages for reservoir versus actuation zones [procedural detail omitted for safety], implementing the bottom plate as an AM-EWoD matrix with thin film transistors, and using amorphous silicon implementations to reduce production cost.
Claims Coverage
Two independent claims were identified (a device claim and a method claim). Six main inventive features are extracted from the independent claims.
Bottom electrode array
A bottom plate comprising a bottom electrode array comprising a plurality of digital microfluidic propulsion electrodes and a first dielectric layer covering the bottom electrode array.
Segmented top electrode array
A top plate comprising a segmented top electrode array comprising a plurality of separately voltage addressable top electrode segments, wherein each top electrode segment and at least two of the bottom plate propulsion electrodes form a zone within the device, and a second dielectric layer covering the top electrode array.
Controller providing propulsion voltages
A controller operatively coupled to the top electrode array and to the bottom electrode array, wherein the controller is configured to provide propulsion voltages between the separately voltage addressable top electrode segments and the plurality of digital microfluidic propulsion electrodes in at least one of the zones; wherein the top plate and the bottom plate are provided in a spaced relationship defining a microfluidic region therebetween to permit droplet motion.
Transistor matrix bottom plate
A bottom plate array comprising a transistor matrix, wherein each transistor of the matrix is operably connected to a gate line, a data line, and a separate propulsion electrode; a plurality of gate lines operably connected to gate drivers; and a plurality of data lines operably connected to data drivers.
Top electrode segment drivers
A plurality of top electrode segment drivers, wherein each driver is configured to separately address a top electrode segment.
Processing unit driven microfluidic method
A processing unit operably connected to the controller and programmed to perform a microfluidic driving method comprising receiving input instructions relating to a droplet operation; outputting top electrode segment instructions to the controller; outputting a top electrode segment signal from the controller to a driver of a first top electrode segment to drive the first segment to a first voltage differing from the second voltage of a second top electrode segment; outputting gate line and data line selecting instructions to the controller; and outputting gate line and data line signals to the respective drivers.
The independent claims cover a device combining a bottom electrode array with dielectric coverage, a segmented top electrode array of separately voltage addressable segments forming zones with at least two bottom propulsion electrodes, drivers and a controller configured to provide propulsion voltages across defined microfluidic regions, and a method employing a transistor matrix bottom plate, top segment drivers, a controller, and a processing unit executing instructions to drive distinct top segments and bottom plate gate/data lines for droplet operations.
Stated Advantages
Allows multiple top plane potentials to be set independently in different zones of the device.
Enables isolation of defects by switching a particular zone off, thereby containing damage and allowing the remainder of the device to continue operating.
Permits multiple simultaneous voltage ranges on neighboring pixels to suit different droplet formulations and operating voltages or different functional zones.
Reduces strain on driving circuitry by fully turning off pixel zones during top plane operation.
Protects against full failure of microfluidic cartridges by turning off defective zones, increasing functional versatility.
Allows mediation of dielectric stack density by turning off defective zones while not affecting the remainder of the array, which can potentially reduce failure rates.
Documented Applications
Sample preparation, assays, and synthetic chemistry performed with tiny quantities of samples and reagents.
Massive parallel assays and reactions enabled by addressable electrodes and segmented top plate zones.
Diagnostic testing such as immunoassays and commonplace diagnostic testing leveraging lower-cost production.
Droplet operations including loading, dispensing, splitting, transporting, merging, diluting, mixing, heating, cooling, and moving a droplet including nucleic acid molecules.
Reservoir zones and reservoir segments for dispensing and reservoir-specific actuation.
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