International Business Machines Corporation

Tobias Guenzler

Emmanuel Delamarche

Yuksel Temiz

Tino Treiber

Jaione Tirapu Azpiroz

Govind V Kaigala

The present invention is notably directed to method of fabrication of a microfluidic chip, comprising: providing a substrate, a face of which is covered by an electrically insulating layer; obtaining a resist layer covering one or more selected portions of the electrically insulating layer, at least a remaining portion of said electrically insulating layer not being covered by the resist layer; partially etching with a wet etchant a surface of the remaining portion of the electrically insulating layer to create a recess and/or an undercut under the resist layer; depositing the electrically conductive layer on the etched surface, such that the electrically conductive layer reaches the created recess and/or undercut; and removing the resist layer to expose a portion of the electrically insulating layer adjoining a contiguous portion of the electrically conductive layer. The present invention is further directed to microfluidic chips obtainable by such methods.

Fabrication of microfluidic chips having electrodes level with microchannel walls

The present invention is notably directed to method of fabrication of a microfluidic chip (), comprising: providing (S-S) a substrate (), a face (F) of which is covered by an electrically insulating layer (); obtaining (S) a resist layer () covering one or more selected portions (P) of the electrically insulating layer (), at least a remaining portion (P) of said electrically insulating layer () not being covered by the resist layer; partially etching (S) with a wet etchant (E) a surface of the remaining portion (P) of the electrically insulating layer () to create a recess () and/or an undercut () under the resist layer (); depositing (S) the electrically conductive layer () on the etched surface (), such that the electrically conductive layer reaches the created recess () and/or undercut (); and removing (S) the resist layer () to expose a portion (P) of the electrically insulating layer adjoining a contiguous portion (P) of the electrically conductive layer (). The present invention is further directed to microfluidic chips obtainable by such methods.

The present invention is notably directed to a microfluidic chip () comprising: a flow path () defined by a hydrophilic surface; a liquid input () on one side of the flow path; at least one electrical circuit (), hereafter DEP circuit, comprising at least one pair of dielectrophoretic electrodes (E, E), hereafter DEP electrodes, wherein: each of the DEP electrodes extends transverse to the flow path; and the DEP circuit is configured to generate a dielectrophoretic force, hereafter DEP force, at the level of the DEP electrodes. The chip may further include one or more electroosmotic circuits. The present invention is further directed to methods of operation of such a microfluidic chip.

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Rio de Janerio, Brazil

Tobias Guenzler