Facing the Future: Time for Real Talk, Early and Often, Between Design and Fabrication
Trouble in Your Tank: Can You Drill the Perfect Hole?
It’s Only Common Sense: Your Guide to Better Time Management
Advances in Medical Diagnostics Using LoC and LoPCB Technologies
March 31, 2020 | Pete Starkey and Happy Holden, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 14 minutes
Basic Components of an LoC
The component devices that make up an LoC are (Figure 3):
- Electrophoresis: Separation columns
- Microfluidics: Channels, valves-pumps & mixers
- Chem-bio detectors and sensors
- Microfluidic chips
Figure 3: LoC elements [1].
1. Electrophoresis
This is a method of separating large molecules (i.e., DNA fragments, blood, or other proteins) from a mixture of similar molecules by passing an electric field toward an electric pole (anode or cathode) in a liquid on various media (e.g., paper, glass, gel, liquid). It is used to separate and purify biomolecules. Each molecule travels through the medium at a different rate—depending on its electrical charge and size—and toward either the anode or the cathode at a characteristic speed (Figure 4).
2. Microfluidics
This custom application of fluidic technology is applied with conventional micromachining techniques, such as wet etching; dry etching; deep, reactive ion etching; sputtering; anodic bonding; and fusion bonding to make flow channels, flow sensors, chemical detectors, separation capillaries, mixers, filters, pumps and valves for various LoCs (Figure 4).
Flow in microchannels is laminar, which allows selective treatment of cells in microchannels, or arrays, as well as biochemical reactions. The integration of microelectronics, micromechanical, and microoptics onto the same substrates allows automated device control, which reduces human error and operation costs.
3. Chem-Bio Detectors and Sensors
Detectors, sensors, and electrodes can be ChemFET and BioFET C-MOS devices with special membranes or diffusions to make them sensitive to chemical or biological molecules. The sensors and electrodes are electrical elements that are sensitive to various chemical or biological molecules, plated with gold, silver, platinum, palladium, etc., and their salts (Figure 5).
4. Microfluidic Chips
A microfluidic chip is a set of microchannels etched or molded into a material (glass, silicon, or polymer, such as PDMS). Microchannels form the microfluidic chip connected in order to achieve the desired features (mix, pump, sort, control bio-chemical environment, etc.). Networks of microchannels are connected to the outside by inputs (inlets) and outputs (outlets) pierced through the chip (interface between the macro and micro world).
Page 2 of 5
Share on:
Suggested Items
Driving Innovation: Direct Imaging vs. Conventional Exposure
07/01/2025 | Simon Khesin -- Column: Driving InnovationMy first camera used Kodak film. I even experimented with developing photos in the bathroom, though I usually dropped the film off at a Kodak center and received the prints two weeks later, only to discover that some images were out of focus or poorly framed. Today, every smartphone contains a high-quality camera capable of producing stunning images instantly.
Hands-On Demos Now Available for Apollo Seiko’s EF and AF Selective Soldering Lines
06/30/2025 | Apollo SeikoApollo Seiko, a leading innovator in soldering technology, is excited to spotlight its expanded lineup of EF and AF Series Selective Soldering Systems, now available for live demonstrations in its newly dedicated demo room.
Indium Corporation Expert to Present on Automotive and Industrial Solder Bonding Solutions at Global Electronics Association Workshop
06/26/2025 | IndiumIndium Corporation Principal Engineer, Advanced Materials, Andy Mackie, Ph.D., MSc, will deliver a technical presentation on innovative solder bonding solutions for automotive and industrial applications at the Global Electronics A
Fresh PCB Concepts: Assembly Challenges with Micro Components and Standard Solder Mask Practices
06/26/2025 | Team NCAB -- Column: Fresh PCB ConceptsMicro components have redefined what is possible in PCB design. With package sizes like 01005 and 0201 becoming more common in high-density layouts, designers are now expected to pack more performance into smaller spaces than ever before. While these advancements support miniaturization and functionality, they introduce new assembly challenges, particularly with traditional solder mask and legend application processes.
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Tin Whisker Mitigation in Aerospace Applications, Part 3
06/25/2025 | Nash Bell -- Column: Knocking Down the Bone PileTin whiskers are slender, hair-like metallic growths that can develop on the surface of tin-plated electronic components. Typically measuring a few micrometers in diameter and growing several millimeters in length, they form through an electrochemical process influenced by environmental factors such as temperature variations, mechanical or compressive stress, and the aging of solder alloys.