Microfluidic device with programmable verification features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10697986-B2
Application number	US-201715630991-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2017
Priority date	Jun 23, 2017
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A method for optically reading information encoded in a microfluidic device, the microfluidic device including an input microchannel, microfluidic modules, and sets of nodes. Nodes of a first set connect the input microchannel to one of the microfluidic modules, and nodes of a second set connect the one of the microfluidic modules to another to form an ordered pair of the microfluidic modules, where the nodes of the first and second sets have different liquid pinning strengths. A liquid loaded into the input microchannel causes an ordered passage of the liquid through each of the microfluidic modules in an order determined by the liquid pinning strengths of the nodes. The passage of the liquid produces an optically readable dynamic pattern which evolves in accordance with the ordered passage of the liquid through the device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for optically reading information encoded in a microfluidic device, the method comprising:
providing the microfluidic device, comprising:
an input microchannel;
microfluidic modules; and
sets of nodes, wherein:
each node of a first set connects an input microchannel to one of the microfluidic modules;
each node of a second set connects the one of the microfluidic modules to another to form an ordered pair of the microfluidic modules; and
the nodes of the first and second sets have different liquid pinning strengths;

loading liquid into the input microchannel of the microfluidic device to cause an ordered passage of the liquid through each of the microfluidic modules in an order determined by the liquid pinning strengths of each of the nodes, such that the passage produces an optically readable dynamic pattern which evolves in accordance with the development of the passage through the device; and
optically reading the dynamic pattern.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein optically reading the dynamic pattern comprises:
detecting a change of optical contrast of the microfluidic modules, wherein the change is produced by the passage of the liquid through each of the microfluidic modules.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein one or more of the ordered pair of the microfluidic modules comprise:
an optically readable medium comprising a pattern of spots of material arranged on a flow path thereof, wherein the pattern of spots are not visually detectable, and wherein the change of contrast of the microfluidic modules is produced by wetting of the pattern of spots by the passage of the liquid.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the ordered pair of the microfluidic modules comprise:
an optically readable medium comprising a pattern of spots of material arranged on a flow path thereof, the spots comprising first spots of a first material and second spots of a second material, wherein the first material is less soluble in the loaded liquid than is the second material, and wherein a residual pattern is formed by the first spots and the second spots, such that the residual pattern produces the dynamically changing pattern as the second spots are dissolved and flushed by the passage of the liquid.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein each of the microfluidic modules of the device comprise the optically readable medium comprising the patterns of spots.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the optically readable medium comprises an initial residual pattern formed by the first spots and the second spots before the second spots are dissolved and flushed by the passage of the liquid to produce the dynamic pattern.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the optically readable media of the microfluidic modules comprise respectively encoded keys forming a set of keys, and wherein the method further comprises:
storing optically read information from the respectively encoded keys; and
storing information relating to an order in which the optically read information was read.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the patterns of spots are arranged in the form of a bi-dimensional lattice.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein a pitch defined by cells of the patterns of spots of the lattice is greater than or equal to 110 μm.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the bi-dimensional lattice comprises q×r cells, and wherein each of q and r is greater than or equal to 4.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the nodes of the first and second sets is concealed within the device to prevent visibility thereof by a user.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the loaded liquid is either pinned or passed by a node of the nodes of the first and second sets, in accordance with the liquid pinning strength of the node.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the microfluidic device comprises:
a set of m distribution microchannels, wherein m≥2;
a set of m output microchannels; and
a set of m microfluidic modules; wherein:
each of the m distribution microchannels are in respective fluidic communication with each of the m microfluidic modules; and
each of the m output microchannels are in respective fluidic communication with an output of each of the m microfluidic modules, wherein:
the first set of nodes comprises m nodes, each of them nodes branching from the input microchannel to a respective one of the distribution microchannels to establish fluidic communication therebetween;
the second set of nodes comprises m subsets of m nodes each; wherein:
each of the m output microchannels branches into each of the m nodes of a respective one of them subsets of m nodes; and
the nodes in each of the first set and in each of the m subsets of the second set have different liquid pinning strengths, such that the ordered passage of the liquid through each of the m microfluidic modules is determined according to the different liquid pinning strengths of the nodes in the first set of nodes, and in the m subsets of nodes.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the microfluidic device is a diagnostic testing device, and wherein one of the m microfluidic modules has a flow path comprising reagents for use in diagnostic testing.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the loaded liquid passes first through the one of the m microfluidic modules having the flow path comprising the reagents before passing through other of the m microfluidic modules in accordance with the different liquid pinning strengths of the nodes of each of the first and second sets of nodes.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first and second sets of nodes, taken together, form m+1 sets of m nodes, wherein the nodes are arranged in the form of an array having a crossbar switch configuration and the array comprises m×(m+1) nodes.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the microfluidic device comprises distinct parallel levels including a first level and a second level, and wherein the input microchannel and the output microchannels are defined on the first level, and the distribution microchannels are defined on the second level.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein each node of a subset of the m+1 sets of m nodes comprise:
a cavity formed on the first level, the cavity comprising an opening on a top side thereof;
an inlet port formed on the first level, the inlet port branching from the input microchannel or one of the output microchannels, and in fluidic communication with the cavity through an ingress thereof;
an outlet port branching to one of the distribution microchannels on the second level; and
a via extending from the cavity to the outlet port to enable fluidic communication therebetween, wherein:
the cavity comprises a liquid blocking element to prevent an aqueous liquid that fills the inlet port from reaching the outlet port of the node.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the via extends across a third level of the device from a bottom side of the cavity down to the outlet port, wherein the bottom side is positioned opposite a top side of the cavity, and wherein the third level is positioned between the first level and the second level.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining encoded information from the optically read dynamic pattern; and
decoding the information.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising:
authenticating the microfluidic device based on the decoded information.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein authenticating the microfluidic

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Delamarche Emmanuel
• Gökçe Onur

Classifications

• G06K19/06009

  with optically detectable marking (G06K19/063, G06K19/08 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01N2035/00782

  reprogrammmable code · CPC title

• B01L2300/025

  Displaying results or values with integrated means · CPC title

• B01L2300/0874

  Three dimensional network · CPC title

• B01L3/545

  for laboratory containers · CPC title