Digital microfluidic chip, method for driving the same, and digital microfluidic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11498073-B2
Application number	US-201916641756-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2019
Priority date	Jun 28, 2018
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

A digital microfluidic chip, a method for driving the same, and a digital microfluidic device are provided. The digital microfluidic chip includes a state transition layer configured to bear a droplet, and a light driving layer configured to provide light for controlling a lyophobicity-lyophobicity transition of the state transition layer to drive the droplet to move. The light driving layer includes light emitting units arranged in an array and provides light. The state transition layer realizes a lyophobicity-lyophobicity transition. The light driving layer controls the lyophobicity-lyophobicity transition by providing light to drive the droplet to move. An existing digital microfluidic chip has a complex structure and a high fabricating cost, while the digital microfluidic chip of the present disclosure has a simple structure, a simple fabricating process and a low fabricating cost, and can realize miniaturization and integration to a maximum extent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A digital microfluidic chip, comprising:
a state transition layer configured to bear a droplet; and
a light driving layer configured to provide light for controlling a lyophobicity-lyophobicity transition of the state transition layer to move the droplet.

2. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 1 , wherein the state transition layer comprises a photosensitive material in which a lyophobic cis-structure is transitioned into a lyophilic trans-structure upon irradiation by light.

3. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 2 , wherein the photosensitive material comprises a copolymer of isopropylacrylamide and acryloxysuccinimide.

4. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 1 , further comprising:
a base plate,
wherein the light driving layer is on the base plate, and the state transition layer is stacked on the light driving layer.

5. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 4 , wherein the droplet is on a surface of the state transition layer away from the base plate.

6. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 4 ,
wherein the light driving layer is spaced apart from the state transition layer, and
wherein a space for the droplet is between the light driving layer and the state transition layer.

7. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 4 ,
wherein the state transition layer comprises a first state transition layer and a second state transition layer which are spaced apart from each other, and
wherein a space for the droplet is between the first state transition layer and the second state transition layer.

8. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 1 , further comprising:
a detect circuit configured to detect a position of the droplet; and
a control circuit configured to generate a control signal according to the position of the droplet, a preset movement direction, and speed of the droplet, and send the control signal to the light driving layer,
wherein the control signal comprises a position to which light is provided and an intensity of the light.

9. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 8 , wherein the light driving layer comprises a plurality of light emitting units, which are arranged in an array.

10. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 9 , wherein the control circuit is configured to determine first light emitting units from the plurality of light emitting units according to the position of the droplet, determine second light emitting units from the plurality of light emitting units which provide light according to the preset movement direction of the droplet, and determine the intensity of the light provided by the second light emitting units according to a preset movement speed of the droplet.

11. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 2 , wherein the photosensitive material has a lyophilic degree in direct proportion to an intensity of light provided by the light driving layer.

12. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 1 , further comprising:
a thermal control layer configured to control a temperature of the state transition layer.

13. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 12 , wherein the thermal control layer is between the light driving layer and the state transition layer.

14. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 1 ,
wherein the state transition layer is transitioned from lyophobicity to lyophilicity during the lyophobicity-lyophobicity transition.

15. The digital microfluidic chip of claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of light emitting units comprises a micro-LED.

16. A digital microfluidic device, comprising the digital microfluidic chip of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Beijing Boe Optoelectronics Tech Co Ltd
• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd
• Beijing Boe Technology Dev Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhao Wei
• Wang Chunlei
• Jiang Kun
• Li Na
• Song Xuechao
• Han Lin
• Guo Lanjun
• Ma Shaowu
• Zhou Kangdi
• Duan Jinshuai
• Luo Xianping

Classifications

• B01L3/50273

  characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids · CPC title

• B01L2300/0887

  Laminated structure · CPC title

• B01L3/502792 Primary

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

• B01L3/5027 Primary

  by integrated microfluidic structures, i.e. dimensions of channels and chambers are such that surface tension forces are important, e.g. lab-on-a-chip · CPC title

• B01L2300/1822

  using Peltier elements · CPC title