Claims
- 1. An instrument for controlling a chemical reaction of reagents comprising:
- a microfabricated reagent chamber for containment of a first one of said reagents, said reagent chamber having a first wall and a second wall defining a reagent chamber volume;
- a first Lamb-wave transducer located on said first wall; and
- a second Lamb-wave transducer located on said second wall;
- the reagent chamber volume defined by said first and second walls narrow enough such that when said first and second Lamb-wave transducers are not activated the reagent is substantially contained within said reagent chamber by surface tension, and such that when at least one of said first and second Lamb-wave transducers are activated the reagent is pumped out of said reagent chamber.
- 2. The instrument of claim 1 wherein said first and second walls are located at opposite sides of said chamber.
- 3. The instrument of claim 2 wherein said first Lamb-wave transducer has two sets of interlaced transduction leads, and said second Lamb-wave transducer has two sets of interlaced transduction leads.
- 4. A microfabricated chemical reactor, comprising:
- a reaction chamber having a microfabricated cavity in which a chemical reaction by at least one reactant may occur, said cavity defined by side walls of a substrate and one other wall defining at least one of a top or bottom wall of said reaction chamber, said one other wall thinner than said side walls;
- a heater microfabricated on said one other wall to manipulate a parameter of the reaction; and
- said side walls of said substrate having a first thermal conductance and said one other wall having a second thermal conductance less than said first thermal conductance so as to substantially thermally isolate said heater from said side walls of said substrate;
- a first Lamb-wave transducer located on one of said side walls or said one other wall; and
- a second Lamb-wave transducer located on a wall different from that on which said first Lamb-wave transducer is located; and
- the reaction chamber volume being such that when said first and second Lamb-wave transducers are not activated the reactant is substantially contained within said reaction chamber by surface tension, and such that when at least one of said first and second Lamb-wave transducers are activated the reactant is transferred from said reaction chamber.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a divisional of copending application Ser. No. 07/938,106 filed Aug. 31, 1992.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
This invention was made with Government support under Grant No. ECD-86-14900 (BSAC) awarded by the National Science Foundation. The Government has certain rights to this invention.
US Referenced Citations (37)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
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0 347 579 A2 |
May 1989 |
EPX |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
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938106 |
Aug 1992 |
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