System and method of micro-fluidic handling and dispensing using micro-nozzle structures

A fluid-dispensing device, comprising:

• a substrate;
• a plurality of nozzles formed in the substrate, each nozzle having an open-ended tip and a fluid-conducting channel between the tip and a source of fluid;
• and
• a plurality of individually addressable gate electrodes supported by the substrate, each individually addressable gate electrode being located adjacent to at least one of the nozzles to effect an ion to leave the at least one nozzle in response to a voltage applied to that individually addressable gate electrode.

A fluid-dispensing device, comprising:

• a substrate;
• a nozzle formed in the substrate, the nozzle having an open-ended tip and a fluid-conducting channel between the tip and a source of fluid;
• a non-conducting spacer on the substrate;
• and
• a gate electrode electrically isolated from the substrate by the non-conducting spacer, the gate electrode being located adjacent to the tip of the nozzle to effect dispensing of fluid in the nozzle in response to a voltage applied to the gate electrode.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a source of fluid;
• a voltage source;
• and
• a fluid-dispensing device micro-fabricated on a substrate, the fluid-dispensing device having a nozzle and a gate electrode that is electrically isolated from the substrate, the nozzle having an open-ended tip and a fluid-conducting channel between the tip and the source of fluid, the channel obtaining fluid from the source of fluid, the gate electrode being located adjacent to the tip of the nozzle to effect dispensing of fluid from the nozzle in response to a voltage applied to the gate electrode by the voltage source.

A method for mixing fluids using a fluid-dispensing device having a plurality of nozzles and a plurality of individually addressable gate electrodes, each nozzle having an open-ended tip and a fluid-conducting channel between the tip and a source of fluid, each individually addressable gate electrode being located adjacent to the tip of at least one of the plurality of nozzles to effect dispensing of fluid from that tip when a voltage is applied to that individually addressable gate electrode, the method comprising:

• aligning a receptacle with the fluid-dispensing device to receive fluid dispensed from a first and second nozzles of the plurality of nozzles;
• applying a first voltage to a first individually addressable gate electrode to effect dispensing a first fluid at a first flow rate from the first nozzle into the receptacle;
• and
• applying a second voltage to a second individually addressable gate electrode to effect dispensing a second fluid at a second flow rate from the second nozzle into the receptacle such that the second fluid mixes with the first fluid.