A High-Voltage SOI CMOS Exciter Chip for a Programmable Fluidic Processor System

Abstract

A high-voltage (HV) integrated circuit has been demonstrated to transport fluidic droplet samples on programmable paths across the array of driving electrodes on its hydrophobically coated surface. This exciter chip is the engine for dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based micro-fluidic lab-on-a-chip systems, creating field excitations that inject and move fluidic droplets onto and about the manipulation surface. The architecture of this chip is expandable to arrays of N X N identical HV electrode driver circuits and electrodes. The exciter chip is programmable in several senses. The routes of multiple droplets may be set arbitrarily within the bounds of the electrode array. The electrode excitation waveform voltage amplitude, phase, and frequency may be adjusted based on the system configuration and the signal required to manipulate a particular fluid droplet composition. The voltage amplitude of the electrode excitation waveform can be set from the minimum logic level up to the maximum limit of the breakdown voltage of the fabrication technology. The frequency of the electrode excitation waveform can also be set independently of its voltage, up to a maximum depending upon the type of droplets that must be driven. The exciter chip can be coated and its oxide surface used as the droplet manipulation surface or it can be used with a top-mounted, enclosed fluidic chamber consisting of a variety of materials. The HV capability of the exciter chip allows the generated DEP forces to penetrate into the enclosed chamber region and an adjustable voltage amplitude can accommodate a variety of chamber floor thicknesses. This demonstration exciter chip has a 32 x 32 array of nominally 100 V electrode drivers that are individually programmable at each time point in the procedure to either of two phases: 0deg and 180deg with respect to the reference clock. For this demonstration chip, while operating the electrodes with a 100-V peak-to-peak periodic waveform, the maximum HV electrode waveform frequency is about 200 Hz; and standard 5-V CMOS logic data communication rate is variable up to 250 kHz. This HV demonstration chip is fabricated in a 130-V 1.0-mum SOI CMOS fabrication technology, dissipates a maximum of 1.87 W, and is about 10.4 mm x 8.2 mm.

Low-cost and low-topography fabrication of multilayer interconnections for microfluidic devices

“…However, since the manufacturing process is still complex and expensive, the devices are relatively small, limiting applications and test throughputs (i.e., the number of experiments that can run concurrently). Although not found in commercial devices, similar active-matrix approach was reported earlier for dielectrophoretic (DEP) actuation of droplets on CMOS devices [13], [14].…”

“…the number of experiments that can run concurrently). Although not found in commercial devices, similar active-matrix approach was reported earlier for dielectrophoretic (DEP) actuation of droplets on complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices [13,14].…”

High-Voltage Bias-Switching Electronics for Volumetric Imaging Using Electrostrictive Row–Column Arrays

“…While previous high-voltage drivers have been used in other fields such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), MEMS devices (e.g. Digital Light Processor (DLP) MEMs chips and MEMs switches) [25]- [28], they have not achieved the high combined DC and transmit voltage and peak current requirements needed for our application. Table III summarizes the differences between our electronics and those cited.…”