Electro-fluidic flow probe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10967372-B2
Application number	US-201414573135-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2014
Priority date	Apr 16, 2014
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus for an electro-fluidic flow probe includes a body portion including an electro-fluidic bias tee for receiving (i) a fluid electrolyte and (ii) an electrical connection for providing an electrical potential to the fluid electrolyte; a first inlet including a tube extending from the first inlet to an outlet through the electro-fluidic bias tee; and a second inlet including the electrical connection having a wire that extends from the second inlet to the outlet through the electro-fluidic bias tee to transfer the electrical potential to a device under test.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electro-fluidic flow probe, comprising:
a body portion including an electro-fluidic bias tee for receiving a fluid electrolyte from a fluid source and an electrical connection for providing an electrical potential to the fluid electrolyte;
a first inlet including a tube for receiving the fluid electrolyte extending from the first inlet to an outlet through the electro-fluidic bias tee, the first inlet of the electro-fluidic bias tee being connected to a switch and in communication with the fluid source through the switch, the first inlet configured to alternate between receiving the fluid electrolyte from the fluid source through the switch and receiving air pressure from an air pressure source through the switch, the tube being both in direct contact with the electro-fluidic bias tee and distinct from the electro-fluidic bias tee; and
a second inlet including the electrical connection having a wire that extends from the second inlet to the outlet through the electro-fluidic bias tee and the tube, the electrical connection being in electrical communication with a device under test, wherein the device under test is embedded in a wafer, wherein the tube comprises a first portion and a second portion, and wherein the first portion is free of the wire and the second portion contains the wire.

2. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 1 , wherein the first inlet is connected to a pressure source for applying pressure to the fluid electrolyte so that the fluid electrolyte passes through the electro-fluidic bias tee.

3. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 1 , wherein the second inlet comprises a socket in which the electrical connection is inserted.

4. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 3 , wherein the second inlet comprises a gasket which is located between the socket and the body portion.

5. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 1 , further comprising a fitting to secure the tube to the electro-fluidic bias tee.

6. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical connection comprises a silver-chloride (Ag/AgCl) wire.

7. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the tube ranges from about 1/32 inch to about 1/16 inch.

8. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid electrolyte is potassium chloride.

9. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 1 , wherein the device under test is a nanochannel embedded in a wafer.

10. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 1 , wherein the device under test is a nanopore embedded in a wafer.

11. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the tube contains the wire so as to reach the outlet.

12. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 1 , wherein the electro-fluidic bias tee is remote from the fluid source and is not in the fluid source.

13. The electro-fluidic flow probe according to claim 1 , wherein, at the second portion, inner surfaces of the tube contain the wire while outer surfaces of the tube are not in contact with the wire; and
wherein the first inlet is coupled to the fluid source through the switch.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Astier Yann Andre Nicolas
• Bai Jingwei
• Kwark Young Hoon
• Polonsky Stanislav
• Smith Joshua T

Classifications

• H10P74/203

  Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects · CPC title

• H10P74/00

  Testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment of wafers, substrates or devices · CPC title

• H10P74/207

  Electrical properties, e.g. testing or measuring of resistance, deep levels or capacitance-voltage characteristics · CPC title

• G01N27/403

  Cells and electrode assemblies · CPC title

• G01N33/48721

  Investigating individual macromolecules, e.g. by translocation through nanopores (Coulter counters in general G01N15/12; fabrication methods for nanoscale apertures B81B1/00; sequencing of nucleic acids C12Q1/68) · CPC title