Packaging of electro-microfluidic devices

• Main Authors: WATSON ROBERT D, GALAMBOS PAUL C, PETERSON KENNETH A, EMERSON JOHN A, GIUNTA RACHEL K, BENAVIDES GILBERT L
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 03.09.2002
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: ACTUATING-FLOATS; BLASTING; COCKS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; FLUID-CIRCUIT ELEMENTS PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR COMPUTING ORCONTROL PURPOSES; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; HYDRAULICS OR PNEUMATICS IN GENERAL; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICALDEVICES; MICROSTRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TAPS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; VALVES; WEAPONS

A new architecture for packaging surface micromachined electro-microfluidic devices is presented. This architecture relies on two scales of packaging to bring fluid to the device scale (picoliters) from the macro-scale (microliters). The architecture emulates and utilizes electronics packaging technology. The larger package consists of a circuit board with embedded fluidic channels and standard fluidic connectors (e.g. Fluidic Printed Wiring Board). The embedded channels connect to the smaller package, an Electro-Microfluidic Dual-Inline-Package (EMDIP) that takes fluid to the microfluidic integrated circuit (MIC). The fluidic connection is made to the back of the MIC through Bosch-etched holes that take fluid to surface micromachined channels on the front of the MIC. Electrical connection is made to bond pads on the front of the MIC.