Method of fabricating a microfluidic device by means of inducing internal cracks in fused silica employing a picosecond laser beam, firstly utilizing irradiation of a focused temporally controlled picosecond laser beam in fused silica to generate a spatially selective modification region including randomly oriented nanocracks, then employing chemical etching to remove the irradiated area and obtain a hollow and connected three-dimensional microstructure, thereby achieving three-dimensional fabrication of microchannel structures inside the fused silica. The method can realize polarization insensitive three-dimensional uniform etching by regulating the pulse width of the picosecond laser beam, and has high chemical etch rate and selectivity, applicable for fabrication of large-sized three-dimensional microfluidic systems, high-precision 3D glass printing, etc.

A microfluidic chip with high volumetric flow rate is provided that includes at least two vertically stacked microfluidic channel layers, each microfluidic channel layer including an array of spaced apart pillars. Each microfluidic channel layer is interconnected by an inlet/outlet opening that extends through the microfluidic chip. The microfluidic chip is created without wafer to wafer bonding thus circumventing the cost and yield issues associated with microfluidic chips that are created by wafer bonding.

One or more methods of fabricating a microscale canopy wick structure having an array of individual wicks having one or more canopy members. Each method includes selectively etching a substrate to control the thickness of the canopy members and also control the width of a fluid flow channel between adjacent wicks in a manner that enhances the overall performance of the microscale canopy wick structure.

A foldable digital microfluidic (DMF) device using a flexible electronic platform and methods of making same is disclosed. The foldable DMF device includes a flexible polyimide substrate with thin copper features that is foldable to provide opposing substrates. The foldable DMF device further includes a flexible polyimide dielectric layer also with thin copper features. In some embodiments, the structure for forming the presently disclosed foldable DMF device is based on the use of blind vias. In some embodiments, the foldable DMF device includes one droplet actuation layer. In other embodiments, the foldable DMF device includes multiple droplet actuation layers. Additionally, a method of making the foldable DMF device is provided.

An apparatus includes a polymer base layer having a surface. A die has a surface that is substantially coplanar with the surface of the polymer base layer. The die includes a fluidic actuator to control fluid flow across the surface of the die. A fluidic channel is coupled to the polymer base layer to provide a fluidic interconnect between the die and a fluidic input/output port.

A wearable glove for interacting with virtual objects is described herein. An example wearable glove includes a fabric material to be worn on a user's hand. The wearable glove also includes a matrix made of an elastic polymer, the matrix including a plurality of voids, each respective void (i) including at least one fluidic actuator and (ii) not being fluidically coupled with a positionally adjacent void. The wearable glove additionally includes a non-fluidic actuator configured to restrict movement of one of the user's digits; and one or more position sensors for monitoring positional data used to a determine a position of the wearable glove within a three-dimensional space. The wearable device can control the at least one fluidic actuator and the at least one non-fluidic actuator to simulate real-world interactions in the artificial-reality environment based on the position of the wearable device as compared to respective positions of virtual objects.

Embodiments described herein relate to the concept and designs of a polymer-based thermal ground plane. In accordance with one embodiment, a polymer is utilized as the material to fabricate the thermal ground plane. Other embodiments include am optimized wicking structure design utilizing two arrays of micropillars, use of lithography-based microfabrication of the TGP using copper/polymer processing, micro-posts, throttled releasing holes embedded in the micro-posts, atomic layer deposition (ALD) hydrophilic coating, throttled fluid charging structure and sealing method, defect-free ALD hermetic coating, and compliant structural design.

A device includes a first layer of an electrically insulating material and a second layer of a non-electrically insulating material (e.g., semiconductor or electrically conductive) extending on the first layer. The second layer is structured so as to define opposite, lateral walls of a microchannel, a bottom wall of which is defined by an exposed surface of the first layer. The second layer is further structured to form one or more electrical insulation barriers; each barrier includes a line of through holes, each surrounded by an oxidized region of the material of the second layer. The through holes alternate with oxidized portions of the oxidized region along the line. Each barrier extends, as a whole, laterally across the second layer up to one of the lateral walls and delimits two sections of the second layer on each side of the barrier and on a same side of the microchannel.

A semiconductor device and method of forming the same are provided. The semiconductor device includes at least one substrate and an interconnection structure. The at least one substrate has a cavity partially defined by an inner sidewall of the at least one substrate and a channel disposed at a bottom of the at least one substrate. The channel laterally penetrates through the at least one substrate. The interconnections structure is disposed over the substrate, and the interconnection structure has a through hole penetrating through the interconnection structure. The through hole, the cavity and the channel are in spatial communication with each other.

A novel microfluidic chip is proposed for performing a chemical or biochemical test in a metered reaction volume. The microfluidic chip has a body which defines an inner flow volume. An inlet has been provided to the body for connecting the inner flow volume to the ambient space. A waste channel forms part of the inner flow volume and is in fluid communication with the inlet. A sample channel also forms part of the inner flow volume and is in fluid communication with the inlet. The sample channel includes a first hydrophobic stop and a second hydrophobic stop at a distance from the first hydrophobic stop so as to provide a metered reaction volume there between. An expelling channel is in fluid communication with the metered reaction volume of the sample channel through the first hydrophobic stop. A sample reservoir is in fluid communication with the metered reaction volume of the sample channel through the second hydrophobic stop.