Development of an integrated bio-microfluidic package with micro-valves and reservoirs for a DNA lab on a chip (LOC) application

A bio-microfluidic package has been developed with integrated reservoir and valves for DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) lab on a chip (LOC) application. A polymer material, PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) is used for encapsulating the DNA chip. Channels, reservoirs and valves are formed on the PDMS material by casting method. A mold fabricated in acrylic material is used. A double sided adhesive tape is used to bond PDMS substrates and DNA chip to PDMS substrate. A capillary force passive valve has been designed and fabricated in PDMS. Threshold pressure required for valve opening has been characterized for different capillary channel dimensions. Reservoirs with different dimensions are fabricated based on the volume required in the DNA extraction process. Filled reservoirs with reagents are sealed by a PDMS membrane. An external actuation is used to apply pressure on the PDMS membrane to push the fluid from the reservoir to DNA chip. Fluidic testing on the PDMS package showed no leakage and no cross contamination in the channels. The developed package has successfully passed bio-testing on DNA extraction.