Microfluidic bubble logic devices and methods

• Main Authors: PRAKASH MANU, GERSHENFELD NEIL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.08.2012
• Subjects: BLASTING; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE; DETAILS OF FLUID-PRESSURE SYSTEMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FLUID-CIRCUIT ELEMENTS PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR COMPUTING ORCONTROL PURPOSES; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS, e.g. SERVO-MOTORS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; HYDRAULICS OR PNEUMATICS IN GENERAL; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; SYSTEMS ACTING BY MEANS OF FLUIDS IN GENERAL; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

A method for implementing a logic operation employs an all fluid-based no-moving part micro-mechanical logic family of microfluidic bubble logic devices that are constructed from complex sequences of microfluidic channels, microfluidic bubble modulators for programming the devices, and microfluidic droplet/bubble memory elements for chemical storage and retrieval. The input is a sequence of bubbles/droplets encoding information, with the output being another sequence of bubbles/droplets. For performing a set of reactions/tasks, the modulators program the device by producing a precisely timed sequence of bubbles/droplets, resulting in a cascade of logic operations within the microfluidic channel sequence, utilizing the generated bubbles as a control. The devices are based on the principle of minimum energy interfaces formed between the two fluid phases enclosed inside precise channel geometries. Various devices, including logic gates, non-volatile bistable memory, shift registers, multiplexers, and ring oscillators have been designed and fabricated.