Methods and devices for electronic sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9103761-B2
Application number	US-201313867555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2013
Priority date	Oct 26, 2001
Publication date	Aug 11, 2015
Grant date	Aug 11, 2015

Abstract

The presence of a detectable entity within a detection volume of a microfabricated elastomeric structure is sensed through a change in the electrical or magnetic environment of the detection volume. In embodiments utilizing electronic detection, an electric field is applied to the detection volume and a change in impedance, current, or combined impedance and current due to the presence of the detectable entity is measured. In embodiments utilizing magnetic detection, the magnetic properties of a magnetized detected entity alter the magnetic field of the detection volume. This changed magnetic field induces a current which can reveal the detectable entity. The change in resistance of a magnetoresistive element may also reveal the passage of a magnetized detectable entity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of determining entities of a selected entity type in a microfabricated structure, wherein the entity type is selected from macromolecules and ensembles of macromolecules, the method comprising:
(a) providing a device comprising a plurality of microfabricated flow channels each having a detection volume with selected physical dimensions and width;
(b) applying an electric field across the detection volume;
(c) passing entities of the selected ent…

Assignees

• Fluidigm Corp

Inventors

• Nassef Hany
• Facer Geoffrey
• Unger Marc

Classifications

• B01L3/502707 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01L2300/123

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01L2300/0816

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01L2400/0481

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01L2400/0655

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic