Micromachined flow cell with freestanding fluidic tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9752978-B2
Application number	US-201214376430-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2012
Priority date	Feb 3, 2012
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A micromachined flow cell includes a substrate and a freestanding tube, delimiting a fluidic conduit therein and being integrally formed from material of the substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flow cell, comprising:
a substrate; and
a freestanding tube delimiting a fluidic conduit therein and being integrally formed from material of the substrate, and surrounded by a gas atmosphere,
wherein the freestanding tube comprises a section comprising a first end and a second end, and the section is configured for receiving electromagnetic radiation at the first end, and for emitting at the second end electromagnetic radiation having propagated through the fluidic conduit, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation coupled into the fluidic conduit undergoes total internal reflection at a boundary between an exterior surface of the freestanding tube and the surrounding gas atmosphere.

2. The flow cell according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate and the freestanding tube are composed of the same material.

3. The flow cell according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises fused silica.

4. The flow cell according to claim 1 , wherein the fluidic conduit has an internal volume in a range selected from the group consisting of: between 1 nl and 1000 nl, and between 10 nl and 100 nl.

5. The flow cell according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a trench and two surface portions, and the freestanding tube extends along the trench and is connected to the two surface portions of the substrate delimiting the trench.

6. The flow cell according claim 5 , wherein the freestanding tube between the two surface portions is U-shaped.

7. The flow cell according claim 5 , wherein the substrate comprises two fluidic channels formed therein, and wherein each of the fluidic channels is directly fluidically coupled to a respective one of the two surface portions.

8. The flow cell according claim 7 , wherein each of the two fluidic channels ends at a respective one of two fluidic interfaces of the substrate.

9. The flow cell according claim 8 , wherein at least one of the two fluidic interfaces is spatially extended compared to the respective one of the two fluidic channels.

10. The flow cell according to claim 5 , comprising a feature selected from the group consisting of: a cover sheet attached to a top surface of the substrate for capping the trench; a bottom sheet attached to a bottom surface of the substrate; and both of the foregoing.

11. The flow cell according to claim 1 , further comprising a further substrate and a further freestanding tube delimiting a further fluidic conduit therein and being integrally formed from material of the further substrate, wherein the substrate and the further substrate are vertically stacked.

12. The flow cell according to claim 11 , wherein the fluidic conduit is fluidically coupled to the further fluidic conduit.

13. The flow cell according to claim 11 , wherein the substrate and the further substrate have the same external contour.

14. The flow cell according to claim 1 , comprising at least one further freestanding tube delimiting at least one further fluidic conduit therein and being integrally formed from material of the same substrate as the freestanding tube.

15. The flow cell according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one further fluidic conduit is fluidically connected in series with the fluidic conduit or is fluidically connected in parallel to the fluidic conduit.

16. The flow cell according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one further fluidic conduit has another length than the fluidic conduit so that an effective interaction length (L1, L2) along which electromagnetic radiation propagating through the respective fluidic conduit interacts with a fluidic sample flowing through the respective fluidic conduit differs for the different fluidic conduits.

17. The flow cell according to claim 1 , wherein the exterior surface the freestanding tube has a shape selected from the group consisting of: a rectangle, a circle, a hexagon, a polygon with rounded edges, and a shape of two parallel linear sections connected by two opposing curved sections.

18. The flow cell according to claim 1 , wherein the freestanding tube comprises an inner surface having a shape selected from the group consisting of: a rectangle, a rectangle having rounded edges, a circle, and an oval.

19. The flow cell according to claim 1 , comprising a feature selected from the group consisting of:
the flow cell comprises a first optical coupler element at least partially integrated in the substrate so as to couple electromagnetic radiation via the first optical coupler element into the fluidic conduit;
the flow cell comprises a second optical coupler element at least partially integrated in the substrate so as to couple electromagnetic radiation from the fluidic conduit into the second optical coupler element; and
both of the foregoing.

20. The flow cell according to claim 1 , comprising an electromagnetic radiation source adapted for generating an electromagnetic radiation beam and for coupling the electromagnetic radiation beam into the fluidic conduit.

21. The flow cell according to claim 20 , comprising a feature selected from the group consisting of:
the electromagnetic radiation source is configured for generating an optical light beam or an ultraviolet beam;
the flow cell comprises an electromagnetic radiation detector configured for detecting the electromagnetic radiation beam after propagation through the fluidic conduit;
the flow cell comprises an electromagnetic radiation detector configured for detecting the electromagnetic radiation beam after propagation through the fluidic conduit wherein the electromagnetic radiation detector comprises an optical light detector or an ultraviolet radiation detector; and
a combination of two or more of the foregoing.

22. The flow cell according to claim 1 , a feature selected from the group consisting of:
the material of the freestanding tube is optically transparent;
the flow cell is configured to conduct a fluidic sample with a high pressure;
the flow cell is configured to conduct a fluidic sample with a pressure of at least 50 bar;
the flow cell is configured to conduct a fluidic sample with a pressure of at least 100 bar;
the flow cell is configured to conduct a liquid sample;
the flow cell is configured as a microfluidic flow cell;
the flow cell is configured as a nanofluidic flow cell; and
a combination of two or more of the foregoing.

23. A fluidic device for measuring a fluidic sample, the fluidic device comprising:
a fluid separating device configured for separating the fluidic sample; and
a flow cell according to claim 1 in fluid communication with the fluid separating device and configured for receiving the separated fluidic sample from the fluid separating device.

24. The fluidic device according to claim 23 , wherein the fluid separating device is integrated in a chip.

25. The fluidic device according to claim 24 , wherein the chip comprises a plurality of bonded sheets being patterned so as to form a fluidic conduit for conducting the fluidic sample.

26. The fluidic device according to claim 23 , wherein a fluidic conduit of the fluid separating device is configured for conducting the fluidic sample, and is brought in fluid communication with the fluidic conduit of the freestanding tube via a hole-to hole coupling.

27. The fluidic device according to claim 26 , wherein the fluid separating device and the flow cell are each formed as planar structures connecte

Assignees

• Kraiczek Karsten
• Mannion John
• Killeen Kevin P
• Agilent Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Kraiczek Karsten
• Mannion John
• Killeen Kevin P

Classifications

• G01N21/05 Primary

  Flow-through cuvettes (G01N21/09 takes precedence; handling fluid samples G01N1/10) · CPC title

• Y10T156/10

  Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor · CPC title

• G01N2030/027

  Liquid chromatography · CPC title

• G01N2021/052

  Tubular type; cavity type; multireflective · CPC title

• B32B38/10

  Removing layers, or parts of layers, mechanically or chemically · CPC title