Microfluidic devices with integrated resistive heater electrodes including systems and methods for controlling and measuring the temperatures of such heater electrodes

摘要

The invention relates to methods and devices for control of an integrated thin-film device with a plurality of microfluidic channels. In one embodiment, a microfluidic device is provided that includes a microfluidic chip having a plurality of microfluidic channels and a plurality of multiplexed heater electrodes, wherein the heater electrodes are part of a multiplex circuit including a common lead connecting the heater electrodes to a power supply, each of the heater electrodes being associated with one of the microfluidic channels. The microfluidic device also includes a control system configured to regulate power applied to each heater electrode by varying a duty cycle, the control system being further configured to determine the temperature of each heater electrode by determining the resistance of each heater electrode.

主权项

1. A method for determining the temperature of each of a plurality of multiplexed heater electrodes, wherein the heater electrodes are part of a multiplex circuit sharing a common lead connecting the electrodes to a power supply, which multiplex circuit includes a controller, said method comprising:
a. with the power supply connected to the common lead, independently measuring a voltage drop of each heater electrode in series with the common lead and storing, by the controller, a common power voltage drop data for each of the heater electrodes; b. disconnecting, by the controller, the power supply from the common lead; c. connecting, by the controller, the power supply to each of one or more of the heater electrodes, wherein the power supply is connected to one or more of the heater electrodes at a time; d. while the power supply is connected to a heater electrode, isolating, by the controller, at least one other heater electrode from all other heater electrodes of the multiplex circuit except the heater electrode connected to power supply, measuring an isolated voltage drop at each isolated heater electrode, and storing, by the controller, isolated voltage drop data for each isolated heater electrode; e. computing, by the controller, the resistance of each of the plurality of multiplexed heater electrodes by solving for the resistance of each heater electrode based at least in part on the stored common power voltage drop data and the stored isolated voltage drop data; and f. deriving, by the controller, the temperature of each of the plurality of multiplexed heater electrodes from the computed resistance of each electrode.