Electrowetting dispensing devices and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10215730-B2
Application number	US-201715614601-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2017
Priority date	Aug 26, 2004
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A method for dispensing liquid for use in biological analysis may comprise positioning liquid to be dispensed via electrowetting. The positioning may comprise aligning the liquid with a plurality of predetermined locations. The method may further comprise dispensing the aligned liquid from the plurality of predetermined locations through a plurality of openings respectively aligned with the predetermined locations. The dispensing may be via electrowetting.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrowetting system, comprising:
an electrowetting loader including
a substantially planar array of independently addressable electrodes embedded in a first substrate,
a conducting electrode embedded in a second substrate proximate to the first substrate, the second substrate and first substrate defining a volume, the second substrate defining a plurality of holes, and
a first insulating layer separating the addressable electrodes from the volume;

a device having a controller programmed to provide electrical signals to the independently addressable electrodes;
a support adjacent the second substrate, the support securing a plurality of capillary tubes, each capillary tube of the plurality of capillary tubes in fluid communication with a hole of the plurality of holes defined in the second substrate.

2. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the volume is in fluid communication with a droplet reservoir.

3. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to cause the addressable electrodes to draw discrete droplets into the volume from the droplet reservoir.

4. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to cause the addressable electrodes to be independently charged positive or negative relative to a power source in the controller.

5. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the addressable electrodes embedded in the first substrate comprises a network of pathways comprising the addressable electrodes arranged in an array having rows and columns.

6. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the addressable electrodes embedded in the first substrate comprise discrete electrodes arranged to provide a fluidic path.

7. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises a hydrophobic surface.

8. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first insulating layer comprises a hydrophilic surface.

9. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the addressable electrodes are configured to alter a wettability of a surface portion of the first insulating layer at a liquid/insulator interface within the volume.

10. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to convert the first insulating layer proximate to a given addressable electrode from hydrophilic to hydrophobic.

11. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , further comprising a second insulating layer separating the conducting electrode from the volume.

12. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of capillary tubes are filled with a matrix material.

13. The electrowetting system of claim 12 , wherein the matrix material includes a porous polymer.

14. The electrowetting system of claim 13 , wherein the porous polymer permits movement of nucleic acids.

15. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , further comprising an electrode at a distal end of the each capillary tube.

16. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , further comprising a workstation.

17. The electrowetting system of claim 16 , wherein the workstation includes a thermocycling station.

18. The electrowetting system of claim 16 , wherein the workstation includes a sample storage station.

19. The electrowetting system of claim 16 , wherein the workstation includes a reagent storage.

20. The electrowetting system of claim 16 , wherein the workstation includes a wash station.

Assignees

• Applied Biosystems Llc

Inventors

• Vann Charles S
• Banerjee Debjyoti
• Geiser Timothy G
• Nurse James C
• Beard Nigel P

Classifications

• B01L3/502792

  for moving individual droplets on a plate, e.g. by locally altering surface tension · CPC title

• B01L2300/0819

  Microarrays; Biochips · CPC title

• B01L3/0268

  using pulse dispensing or spraying, eg. inkjet type, piezo actuated ejection of droplets from capillaries · CPC title

• B01L3/0241 Primary

  Drop counters; Drop formers · CPC title

• B01J2219/00418

  using pressure · CPC title