Method of controlling a microfluidic device having a reduced number of input and output connections

摘要

A system and method for reducing the number of input/output connections required to connect a microfluidic substrate to an external controller for controlling the substrate. A microfluidic processing device is fabricated on a substrate having a plurality of N independently controllable components, (e.g., a resistive heating elements) each having at least two terminals. The substrate includes a plurality of input/output contacts for connecting the substrate to an external controller, and a plurality of leads for connecting the contacts to the terminals of the components. The leads are arranged to allow the external controller to supply control signals to the terminals of the components via the contacts using substantially fewer contacts than the total number of component terminals. The components are independently controlled by arranging the leads so that each component's terminals are connected to a unique combination of contacts.