The present disclosure provides a microfluidic device comprising a set of micro-structured electrodes. The electrodes are made of a fusible alloy such as Field's Metal and are patterned on a layer of PDMS. The molten fusible alloy is poured over the patterned PDMA layer and a suction force is applied to ensure uniformity of flow of the molten metal. A second layer comprising a flow channel orthogonal to the direction of the micro-structured electrodes is disposed under the first layer to form the microfluidic device. The device shows enhanced sensitivity to RBC detection at high frequencies that are also bio-compatible (above 2 MHz). Multiple layers of the micro-structures electrodes can be sandwiched between layers of flow channels to provide a 3D microfluidic device.

This fluid handling device has a rotary member that is rotatable around the central axis. In the rotary member, a first protruding part for pressing and closing a valve of a flow channel chip and a recessed part for opening the valve without pressing the valve are disposed on the circumference of a first circle around the central axis. The rotary member further has a second protruding part for, when the recessed part is located at the valve in a state where the rotary member is rotated, pressing the valve so as not to open the valve.

A microfluidic device, a method of using a microfluidic device and a micro total analysis system are provided. The microfluidic device includes a first substrate, and the first substrate includes a base substrate and a pixel array. The pixel array includes a plurality of pixels and is on the base substrate, and each of the plurality of pixels includes a driving electrode. Driving electrodes of two adjacent pixels are in different layers.

A method for producing a cavity in a substrate composed of hard brittle material is provided. A laser beam of an ultrashort pulse laser is directed a side surface of the substrate and is concentrated by a focusing optical unit to form an elongated focus in the substrate. Incident energy of the laser beam produces a filament-shaped flaw in a volume of the substrate. The filament-shaped flaw extends into the volume to a predetermined depth and does not pass through the substrate. To produce the filament-shaped flaw, the ultrashort pulse laser radiates in a pulse or a pulse packet having at least two successive laser pulses. After at least two filament-shaped flaws are introduced, the substrate is exposed to an etching medium which removes material of the substrate and widens the at least two filament-shaped flaws to form filaments. At least two filaments are connected to form a cavity.

Wettable structures that retain liquid layers are defined at surfaces of substrates. The wettable structures include grooves or ridges that are spaced apart by between 10 nm and 10 μm and can be defined in substrate or in a layer formed on a surface of the substrate. In typical examples, wettable structures are defined with hydrophobic materials or at hydrophobic surfaces and produce hydrophilic surfaces.

A microfluidic chip includes a flow passage plate, a flat plate, and an annular seal. In the flow passage plate, a recess forming a flow passage for liquid and a communication hole communicating with the recess are formed. The flat plate is stacked on or under the flow passage plate to close the recess for defining the flow passage. In the flat plate, a communication through-hole communicating with the recess is formed. The annular seal is located on, or formed on, an outer surface of at least one of the flow passage plate and the flat plate, the annular seal surrounding at least one of the communication hole and the communication through-hole. The annular seal is made of an elastomer.

An IR radiator element (1) suitable for use as a miniature infrared emitter (micro-hotplate) in a gas sensor, IR-spectrometer or electron microscope. The micro-hotplate comprises a plate (2) supported by multiple support arms (4). The plate and arms are fabricated as a MEMS device comprising a single contiguous piece of electrically-conducting refractory ceramic such as hafnium carbide (HfC) or tantalum hafnium carbide (TaHfC). Each of the arms (4), in addition to providing structural cantilever support for the plate (2), acts as a heating element for the plate (2). The plate (2) is heated by applying a voltage across the arms (4). The arms (4) may also be shaped to absorb thermomechanical stress which arises during the heating and cooling of the arms and plate. The plate, which may have an area of less than 0.05 mm.sup.2 and a thickness of between 1% and 10% of the largest dimension of the plate (2), for example, can be heated to 4,000 K or more and cooled again with a duty cycle of as little 0.5 ms, thereby permitting pulsed operation at frequencies of up to 2 kHz. Its small size (10-200 μm) and low power consumption (e.g. 10-100 mW) make the micro-hotplate suitable for use in cryogenic applications, in miniaturized devices or in battery-powered devices such as mobile phones.

A micro-fluidic chip is provided. The micro-fluidic chip includes: a first base substrate; a first electrode on the first base substrate and electrically coupled to a wire at a driving end; a second electrode on a side of the first electrode away from the first base substrate and spaced apart and electrically insulated from the first electrode, the second electrode including a plurality of sub-blocks of the second electrode, and an orthographic projection of the second electrode on the first base substrate being at least partially overlapped with an orthographic projection of the first electrode on the first base substrate; and voltage-dividing resistors coupled to the plurality of sub-blocks of the second electrode in one-to-one correspondence and electrically coupled to a ground wire.

A microdroplet/bubble-generating device comprising a slit and a row of a plurality of microflow paths is constructed, in such a manner that either a continuous phase or dispersion phase is supplied to the slit, and so that the end of the slit, the other supply port for the continuous phase or dispersion phase and the liquid recovery port are connected. The plurality of microflow paths each have a narrow part where the cross-sectional area of the flow channel is locally narrowed adjacent to or near the connection point between the slit and the microflow path. The continuous phase and dispersion phase that have met at the connection points flow into the narrow parts, and the dispersion phase is sheared at the narrow parts with the continuous phase flow as the driving force, forming droplets or gas bubbles of the dispersion phase. The product is recovered from the liquid recovery port.

A MEMS hotplate is used as a test substrate for characterizing a temperature-dependent fabrication process. According to a variant, an array of MEMS hotplates is used to provide multiple test substrates which can be simultaneously heated to different temperatures to provide multiple different temperature-dependent characterizations of the process.