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US 9,638,338 B2Granted
Microfluidic pump and valve structures and fabrication methods
AssigneeRheonix, Inc.
InventorsPeng Zhou, Lincoln C. Young
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Plastic microfluidic structures having a substantially rigid diaphragm that actuates between a relaxed state wherein the diaphragm sits against the surface of a substrate and an actuated state wherein the diaphragm is moved away from the substrate. As will be seen from the following description, the microfluidic structures formed with this diaphragm provide easy to manufacture and robust systems, as well readily made components such as valves and pumps.
Claims8
A microfluidic planar valve, comprising:
- only a single, non-elastomeric substrate having upper and lower surfaces, a valve seat disposed therein, a through-hole extending from the upper surface of the substrate to the lower surface of the substrate, and a fluidic microfeature formed therein;
- and
- only a single, non-elastomeric membrane disposed immediately adjacent an entirety of the upper surface of the substrate in an at least partially bonded manner, wherein the membrane adapted to at least both fully stop and allow a fluid-flow through the valve,
- wherein the fluidic microfeature is a plurality of disconnected microfluidic channels each having an end fluidically intersecting a bond-free region of the only the single, non-elastomeric membrane, and
- wherein the planar valve is characterized by an integrated, monolithic construction consisting of two-layers.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.