Claims
- 1. A microfluidic device comprising:
a substrate having a thickness; at least one microfluidic pathway formed in the substrate, the microfluidic pathway including a passageway, the passageway including an entrance opening having a first minimum dimension, and an exit opening having a second minimum dimension that is greater than the first minimum dimension, the passageway further including; a valve seat surface situated between the entrance opening and the exit opening; and a ball element in the passageway between the entrance opening and the exit opening.
- 2. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the ball element is captured in the passageway.
- 3. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the ball element has an outer peripheral surface that is complementary to the valve seat surface.
- 4. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the pathway further comprises at least one microfluidic feature arranged downstream and in fluid communication with the exit opening.
- 5. The microfluidic device of claim 1, further comprising a feature downstream of the exit opening, and a barrier formed between the downstream feature and the exit opening, and
wherein the ball element has a minimum dimension and the pathway including the barrier has a minimum dimension that is less than the minimum dimension of the ball element.
- 6. The microfluidic device of claim 1, further comprising at least one microfluidic feature arranged upstream and in fluid communication with the entrance opening.
- 7. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface is at least substantially parallel to the top surface, the passageway includes a longitudinal axis, and the longitudinal axis of the passageway is at least substantially perpendicular to the top and bottom surfaces.
- 8. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the passageway includes a through hole through the substrate.
- 9. The microfluidic device of claim 8, wherein the through hole is a tapered through hole.
- 10. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the microfluidic device further includes a cover, the substrate includes a surface, the surface is in contact with the cover, and the pathway further includes at least one microfluidic feature formed in the surface of the substrate and covered by the cover.
- 11. The microfluidic device of claim 10, wherein the microfluidic feature includes at least one of a channel, a chamber, a reservoir, a port, a via, a recess, a divider, a flow splitter, a column, a purification column, and a combination thereof.
- 12. The microfluidic device of claim 10, wherein the microfluidic feature contains reagents for polymerase chain reaction.
- 13. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the valve seat surface is at least substantially circular.
- 14. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the ball element comprises a polycarbonate material.
- 15. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the passageway has a hollow cylindrical shape and the entrance opening is defined by a shoulder.
- 16. A method of manipulating a fluid in a microfluidic device, comprising:
providing the microfluidic device of claim 1;introducing a fluid into the microfluidic device and in fluid communication with the entrance opening; manipulating a fluid to unseat the ball valve element and flow from the entrance opening toward the exit opening; and causing the ball element to seat against the valve seat surface to at least partially prevent fluid from flowing in a direction from the exit opening toward the entrance opening.
- 17. The method of claim 16, wherein causing the ball element to seat comprises moving the ball element against the valve seat surface by forming a backpressure in the passageway.
- 18. The method of claim 16, wherein manipulating a fluid to unseat the ball element comprises spinning the microfluidic device.
- 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising heating at least a portion of the pathway downstream of the exit opening.
- 20. The method of claim 16, further comprising subjecting the fluid in the microfluidic device to a thermal cycling process.
- 21. A method of manipulating a fluid in a microfluidic device, comprising:
providing a passageway in the microfluidic device that includes a microball valve; causing the microball valve to open by flowing the fluid through the passageway; and causing the microball valve to close.
- 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the microball valve includes a ball element and a valve seat, and causing the microball to close comprises allowing the force of gravity to move the ball element against the valve seat.
- 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising heating fluid in the microfluidic device causing back pressure to force the ball element in a direction toward the valve seat.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims benefits under 35 U.S.C. § 119 and/or § 120 from earlier filed U.S. Provisional Patent Applications Nos. 60/398,777, 60/398,778, 60/398,852, and 60/398,946, all filed Jul. 26, 2002. All U.S. Patent Applications mentioned herein are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
Provisional Applications (4)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60398777 |
Jul 2002 |
US |
|
60398778 |
Jul 2002 |
US |
|
60398852 |
Jul 2002 |
US |
|
60398946 |
Jul 2002 |
US |