Microfluidic valve
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsCraig Olbrich, Alexander N. Govyadinov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A microfluidic valve may include a firing chamber having an orifice, a first portion of a liquid conduit connected to the firing chamber at a first port, a second portion of the liquid conduit connected to the firing chamber at a second port and a thermal resistor. The thermal resistor is to form a bubble within the firing chamber to expel liquid from the firing chamber through the orifice such that a first meniscus forms across the first port and a second meniscus forms across the second port to interrupt liquid flow between the first portion and the second portion of the liquid conduit.
Claims20
A microfluidic valve comprising:
- a firing chamber having an orifice;
- a first portion of a liquid conduit connected to the firing chamber at a first port;
- a second portion of the liquid conduit connected to the firing chamber at a second port, wherein the orifice is a separate fluidic path from the first port and the second port;
- and
- a thermal resistor to form a bubble with the firing chamber to expel liquid from the firing chamber through the orifice such that a first meniscus forms across the first port upon collapse of the bubble and a second meniscus forms across the second port upon collapse of the bubble to interrupt liquid flow between the first portion and the second portion of the liquid conduit.
A method comprising:
- closing a microfluidic valve by:
- expelling fluid from a firing chamber through an orifice by heating a thermal resistor and forming a bubble within the firing chamber;
- interrupting liquid flow into the firing chamber by forming a first meniscus across a first port connecting the firing chamber to a first portion of a liquid conduit upon collapse of the bubble within the firing chamber;
- and
- interrupting liquid flow into the firing chamber by forming a second meniscus across a second port connecting the firing chamber to a second portion of a liquid conduit upon collapse of the bubble within the firing chamber.
A microfluidic system comprising:
- a microfluidic valve comprising:
- a firing chamber having an orifice;
- a first portion of a liquid conduit connected to the firing chamber at a first port;
- a second portion of the liquid conduit connected to the firing chamber at a second port, wherein the orifice:
- is a separate fluidic path from the first port and the second port;
- has less resistance to liquid flow as compared to the first port and the second port;
- and
- is in a plane perpendicular to a plane of the first portion and the second portion of the liquid conduit;
- and
- a thermal resistor proximate the firing chamber, wherein the thermal resistor is on a wall opposite the orifice;
- a meniscus breaker to break menisci formed across the first and second ports;
- and
- a controller to selectively:
- close the microfluidic valve by powering the thermal resistor to form a bubble with the firing chamber to expel liquid from the firing chamber through the orifice such that a first meniscus forms across the first port upon collapse of the bubble and a second meniscus forms across the second port upon collapse of the bubble to interrupt liquid flow between the first portion and the second portion of the liquid conduit;
- and
- to open the microfluidic valve by actuating the meniscus breaker to break the first meniscus and the second meniscus to connect liquid within the first portion to liquid within the second portion of the liquid conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.