Typical Lab-on-a-Disc (LoaD) platforms cannot make a continuous measurement while the disc is spinning; this drawback means that the disc usually must be stopped and aligned with a sensor. This can result in measurement errors in time-dependent assays along with inaccuracies due to liquid displacement and bubble formation in the absence of a stabilising centrifugal field. This paper presents a novel concept for a wirelessly electrified-Lab-on-a-Disc (eLoaD) platform that allows continuous measurement of experimental parameters while the disc is spinning. This platform incorporates all the components needed for measurement within the rotating frame of reference, and bidirectional transmission of data outside this reference frame, thus allowing for online measurement independent of the rotation of the disc. The eLoaD platform is conceived in a modular manner whereby an interchangeable and non-disposable 'Application Disc' can be fitted to the eLoaD platform and so the system can be adapted for a range of optical, electrochemical and other measurement types. As an application example, optical readout, using the Application Disc fitted with a silicon photomultiplier, is demonstrated using a tagged chemiluminescent antibody, which is commonly used, for instance, in ELISA assays. The precision of the eLoaD platform is >94%, while its accuracy, when compared to a commercial benchtop luminometer, is higher than 96%. The modular design of this platform will permit extension of this technology to many other LoaD applications.
We present a design for wireless power transfer, via inductively coupled coils, to a spinning disk. The rectified and stabilised power feeds an Arduino-compatible microcontroller (μC) on the disc, which in turn drives and monitors various sensors and actuators. The platform, which has been conceived to flexibly prototype such systems, demonstrates the feasibility of a wireless power supply and the use of a μC circuit, for example for Lab-on-a-disk applications, thereby eliminating the need for cumbersome slip rings or batteries, and adding a cogent and new degree of freedom to the setup. The large number of sensors and actuators included demonstrate that a wide range of physical parameters can be easily monitored and altered. All devices are connected to the μC via an I(2)C bus, therefore can be easily exchanged or augmented by other devices in order to perform a specific task on the disk. The wireless power supply takes up little additional physical space and should work in conjunction with most existing Lab-on-a-disk platforms as a straightforward add-on, since it does not require modification of the rotation axis and can be readily adapted to specific geometrical requirements.
We address the miniaturization of power converters by introducing novel, 3D microtransformers with magnetic core for low-MHz frequency applications. The core is fabricated by lamination and microstructuring of Metglas ® 2714A magnetic alloy. The solenoids of the microtransformers are wound around the core using a ball-wedge wirebonder. The wirebonding process is fast, allowing the fabrication of solenoids with up to 40 turns in 10 s. The fabricated devices yield the high inductance per unit volume of 2.95 µH/mm 3 and energy per unit volume of 133 nJ/mm 3 at the frequency of 1 MHz. The power efficiency of 64-76% are measured for different turns ratio with coupling factors as high as 98%.To demonstrate the applicability of our passive components two PWM controllers were selected to implement an isolated and a nonisolated switch mode power supply. The isolated converter operates with overall efficiency of 55% and maximum output power of 136 mW, then we experimentally demonstrate how we increased this efficiency to 71% and output power to 408 mW. The non-isolated converter can deliver an overall efficiency of 81% with a maximum output power of 515 mW. Finally, we benchmarked the results to underline the potential of the technology for power on-chip applications.Index Terms-Transformer, Magnetic layered film, DC-DC power conversion, Micromachining.
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