Methods of maintaining droplet transport
AssigneeAdvanced Liquid Logic, Inc.
InventorsARNAUD RIVAL, CYRIL DELATTRE
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Abstract
The invention provides a method for reducing or preventing droplet pinning as the droplet is transported across a boundary between a ground electrode region and a non-ground electrode region on a droplet actuator. The invention also provides a method for reducing or preventing droplet super-movement as the droplet is transported across a boundary between a ground electrode region and a non-ground electrode region on a droplet actuator.
Claims31
A method for reducing or preventing droplet pinning as the droplet is transported across a boundary between a ground electrode region and a non-ground electrode region on a droplet actuator, comprising:
- a. providing the droplet actuator, wherein the droplet actuator comprises:
- i. a bottom substrate and a top substrate separated to form a droplet operations gap;
- ii. a ground electrode disposed on a portion of the top substrate;
- and
- iii. a linear arrangement of a plurality of droplet operations electrodes disposed on the bottom substrate, wherein the plurality of droplet operations electrodes spans the boundary between the ground electrode region and the non-ground electrode region;
- b. positioning an elongated droplet on more than one of the plurality of droplet operations electrodes, wherein the elongated droplet is positioned atop at least one droplet operations electrode in the ground electrode region and at least one droplet operations electrode in the non-ground electrode region;
- c. activating the at least one droplet operations electrode in the non-ground electrode region;
- and
- d. activating the next droplet operations electrode of the linear arrangement in the non-ground electrode region and deactivating the at least one droplet operations electrode in the non-ground electrode region;
- wherein the elongated droplet is transported out of the ground-electrode-region and into the non-ground electrode-region.
A method for reducing or preventing droplet super-movement as the droplet is transported across a boundary between a ground electrode region and a non-ground electrode region on a droplet actuator, comprising:
- a. providing the droplet actuator, wherein the droplet actuator comprises:
- i. a bottom substrate and a top substrate separated to form a droplet operations gap, wherein the top substrate is deionized;
- ii. a ground electrode disposed on a portion of the top substrate;
- and
- iii. an arrangement of droplet operations electrodes disposed on the bottom substrate;
- and
- b. transporting the droplet out of the ground electrode region and into the non-ground electrode region by electrowetting.
A method for reducing or preventing droplet super-movement as the droplet is transported across a boundary between a ground electrode region and a non-ground electrode region on a droplet actuator, comprising:
- a. providing the droplet actuator, wherein the droplet actuator comprises:
- i. a bottom substrate and a top substrate separated to form a droplet operations gap, wherein a portion of the top substrate facing away from the droplet operations gap is coated with a conductive coating;
- ii. a ground electrode disposed on a portion of the top substrate;
- and
- iii. an arrangement of droplet operations electrodes disposed on the bottom substrate;
- and
- b. transporting the droplet out of the ground electrode region and into the non-ground electrode region by electrowetting.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.