Techniques regarding nanofluidic chips with a plurality of inlets and/or outlets in fluid communication with one or more nanoDLD arrays are provided. For example, one or more embodiments described herein can comprise a nanoscale deterministic lateral displacement array between and in fluid communication with a global inlet and a global outlet. The nanoscale deterministic lateral displacement array can further be between and in fluid communication with a local inlet and a local outlet. Also, the nanoscale deterministic lateral displacement array can laterally displace a particle comprised within a sample fluid supplied from the global inlet to a collection region that directs the particle to the local outlet. An advantage of such an apparatus can be the expanded versatility of the nanoscale deterministic lateral displacement array for sample preparation applications involving nanoparticles not accessible to other higher throughput microscale microfluidic technologies.

Various aspects of the present invention relate to the control and manipulation of fluidic species, for example, in microfluidic systems. In one aspect, the invention relates to systems and methods for making droplets of fluid surrounded by a liquid, using, for example, electric fields, mechanical alterations, the addition of an intervening fluid, etc. In some cases, the droplets may each have a substantially uniform number of entities therein. For example, 95% or more of the droplets may each contain the same number of entities of a particular species. In another aspect, the invention relates to systems and methods for dividing a fluidic droplet into two droplets, for example, through charge and/or dipole interactions with an electric field. The invention also relates to systems and methods for fusing droplets according to another aspect of the invention, for example, through charge and/or dipole interactions. In some cases, the fusion of the droplets may initiate or determine a reaction. In a related aspect of the invention, systems and methods for allowing fluid mixing within droplets to occur are also provided. In still another aspect, the invention relates to systems and methods for sorting droplets, e.g., by causing droplets to move to certain regions within a fluidic system. Examples include using electrical interactions (e.g., charges, dipoles, etc.) or mechanical systems (e.g., fluid displacement) to sort the droplets. In some cases, the fluidic droplets can be sorted at relatively high rates, e.g., at about 10 droplets per second or more. Another aspect of the invention provides the ability to determine droplets, or a component thereof, for example, using fluorescence and/or other optical techniques (e.g., microscopy), or electric sensing techniques such as dielectric sensing.

Techniques for use of wafer bonding techniques for sealing of microfluidic chips are provided. In one aspect, a wafer bonding sealing method includes the steps of: forming a first oxide layer coating surfaces of a first wafer, the first wafer having at least one fluidic chip; forming a second oxide layer on a second wafer; and bonding the first wafer to the second wafer via an oxide-to-oxide bond between the first oxide layer and the second oxide layer to form a bonded wafer pair, wherein the second oxide layer seals the at least one fluidic chip on the first wafer. The second wafer can be at least partially removed after performing the bonding, and fluidic ports may be formed in the second oxide layer. A fluidic chip device is also provided.

A method for aligning sequences of droplets in streams of an emulsion comprising target droplets and tag droplets, a tag droplet comprising first and second tags. A target droplet is split into first and second target droplets and a tag droplet is split into first and second tag droplets. Each of the first and second tag droplets comprise the first and second tags. The first target droplet and first tag droplet are in a first stream of droplets, and the second target droplet and second tag droplet are in a second stream of droplets. The method detects the first tag droplets and first target droplets in the first stream and the second tag droplets and second target droplets in the second stream, determines a first sequence of droplets in the first stream and a second sequence of droplets in the second stream, and compares these to align the sequences.

Methods and systems for sorting droplets are provided. In some cases, occupied droplets may be sorted from unoccupied droplets. In some cases, singularly occupied droplets may be sorted from unoccupied droplets and multiply occupied droplets. Methods and systems for sorting cell beads are provided. In some cases, cell beads may be sorted from particles unoccupied with cell derivatives. In some cases, singularly occupied cell beads may be sorted from unoccupied particles and multiply occupied cell beads. Methods and systems for selectively polymerizing droplets based on occupancy and size of the droplets are provided.

The combined value of integrating optical forces and electrokinetics allows for the pooled separation vectors of each to be applied, providing for separation based on combinations of features such as size, shape, refractive index, charge, charge distribution, charge mobility, permittivity, and deformability. The interplay of these separation vectors allow for the selective manipulation of analytes with a finer degree of variation. Embodiments include methods of method of separating particles in a microfluidic channel using a device comprising a microfluidic channel, a source of laser light focused by an optic into the microfluidic channel, and a source of electrical field operationally connected to the microfluidic channel via electrodes so that the laser light and the electrical field to act jointly on the particles in the microfluidic channel. Other devices and methods are disclosed.

A particle analysis system includes an inlet; an inertial focusing microchannel disposed in a substrate and having a downstream expanding region at a distal end, where the inlet is connected to a proximal end of the microchannel; a plurality of outlets connected to the microchannel at the downstream expanding region; a plurality of fluidic resistors, where each fluidic resistor is connected to a respective outlet; and a particle analyzer configured to measure a size and a position of particles in the microchannel. A particle sorting system includes an inlet; an inertial focusing microchannel disposed in a substrate and having a downstream expanding region at a distal end, where the inlet is connected to a proximal end of the microchannel; a plurality of outlets connected to the microchannel at the downstream expanding region; and a plurality of fluidic resistors, where each fluidic resistor is connected to a respective outlet.

Provided are: an image processing device; a fine particle sorting device; and an image processing method, in which electric charge can be easily and accurately applied to a droplet. An image processing device including: a control unit adapted to set a light source lighting delay time to control a light source, the light source lighting delay time indicating a time from a time point when a fine particle in fluid is detected by a detection unit until a time point when the light source is turned on for the fine particle included in a droplet formed from the fluid; a processing unit adapted to identify positional information of the fine particle on the basis of an image of the fine particle acquired in accordance with lighting of the light source during the set light source lighting delay time; and a recording unit adapted to record, in a correlated manner, the positional information identified in the processing unit and the light source lighting delay time. The processing unit determines, as a drop delay time, a light source lighting delay time correlated to target positional information that is predetermined positional information, and the drop delay time indicates a time from the time point when the fine particle is detected by the detection unit until the droplet is formed from the fluid containing the fine particle.

Disclosed herein is a system to detect and characterize individual particles and cells using at least either optic or electric detection as the particle or cell flows through a microfluidic channel. The system also provides for sorting particles and cells or isolating individual particles and cells.

A system and method for sorting sperm is provided. The system includes a housing and a microfluidic system supported by the housing. The system also includes an inlet providing access to the microfluidic system to deliver sperm to the microfluidic system and an outlet providing access to the microfluidic system to harvest sorted sperm from the microfluidic system. The microfluidic system provides a flow path for sperm from the inlet to the outlet and includes at least one channel extending from the inlet to the outlet to allow sperm delivered to the microfluidic system through the inlet to progress along the flow path toward the outlet. The microfluidic system also includes a filter including a first plurality of micropores arranged in the flow path between the inlet and the outlet to cause sperm traveling along the flow path to move against through the filter and gravity to reach the outlet.