A capillary system with thermal-bubble-actuated 1/spl times/N micro flow switch via time-sequence power control for continuous liquid handling

In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a novel thermal-bubble-actuated 1/spl times/N micro flow switch without the need of external macro pumps. This device is a valveless switch by means of the thermal-bubble-actuated method and the area control of the hydrophobic patches on the microchannels. The switch mechanism among different microchannels is dominated by controlling the format and timing of power input that generates thermal bubbles. The experimental results successfully demonstrate the switch function of our micro flow switches devices to switch continuous liquid into desired outlet ports based on our hydrophobic-patch design and programmable time-sequence bubble actuation.