Microfluidic actuator

Abstract

A simple microfluidic actuator includes a sealed vacuum chamber actuated by providing a current to a thin film heater, which in turn weakens and, under the atmospheric pressure differential, breaks a diaphragm sealing said vacuum chamber whereby the vacuum inside said chamber is released. By applying the microfluidic actuator to a microfluidic network the resulting pressure differential can be used to generate a pumping force with the microfluidic network. The chamber may be prepared in a silicon, glass, or plastic substrate. The diaphragm may be a metallic gas-impermeable film. A releasing member comprising a thin-film metallic heater is then microfabricated on the diaphragm. The assembly so prepared may be bonded to a glass or plastic substrate that contains a network of microchannels. The microfluidic actuator is suited for a microfluidic platform in generating driving powers for operations including pumping, metering, mixing and valving of liquid samples.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.