Automated design of pin-constrained digital microfluidic arrays for lab-on-a-chip applications*

Microfluidics-based biochips, also referred to as lab-on-a-chip (LoC), are devices that integrate fluid-handling functions such as sample preparation, analysis, separation, and detection. This emerging technology combines electronics with biology to open new application areas such as point-of-care diagnosis, on-chip DNA analysis, and automated drug discovery. We propose a design automation method for pin-constrained LoCs that manipulate nanoliter volumes of discrete droplets on a microfluidic array. In contrast to the direct-addressing scheme that has been studied thus far in the literature, we assign a small number of independent control pins to a large number of electrodes in the LoC, thereby reducing design complexity and product cost. We apply the proposed method to a microfluidic array for a set of multiplexed bioassays. Categories and Subject Descriptors B.7.1 B.7.2 [Integrated Circuits]: Types and Design Styles, Design Aids. General Terms: Algorithms, Performance, Design Keywor...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: DAC
• Authors: William L. Hwang, Fei Su, Krishnendu Chakrabarty
• Keywords: Computer Architecture, DAC 2006, Design Automation Method, Microfluidic Array, Microfluidic Biochips