Abstract
In recent years, the open electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) device has been widely used in biomedical detection, chemical synthesis analysis, and so on. However, the cost of using ITO glass as surface material is difficult to meet the requirement for large-scale array chip production. So, a low-cost, easy-to-manufacture open EWOD platform is designed in this paper. In hardware platform, an operation platform is prepared by using a printed circuit board (PCB) as a substrate. The electrode shape is designed as zigzag, and its surface is optimized by organic solderability preservatives (OSP). In addition, Parafilm M and silicone oil are used as a dielectric hydrophobic layer to prepare the open platform. In software, the system program is designed by C programming language, including initialization program, serial port communication program, high-voltage output port program, and interrupt program, which can be used to drive droplets. The system can achieve an effective driving voltage of 180V-240V. The moving speed of droplets can reach 15mm/s when the droplet volume is 18μL-50μL and the electrode voltage output frequency is 10Hz.
Highlights
The open electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) system has the advantages of saving samples, easy integration, multi-function, and precise operation [1,2,3], and so on
According to the principle of the electrowetting, the driving system is designed to achieve the manipulation of micro-droplets, FIGURE 6 | printed circuit board (PCB)-based EWOD operating platform. (A) The design of a PCB electrode array. (B) The physical picture of the PCB electrode array
The HV513 chip can output the external power supply voltage in parallel according to the program, and it can output high resistance state at all ports. It can control the output voltage within the range of 5–250 V, and has the function of short circuit automatic monitoring. 3 is a burning module, which uses ST-LINK V2 simulation programmer to burn the program into STM32 chip; 4 is a function serial port module, which can use DuPont line to connect two or more driver boards for achieving instruction transfer; 5 is a power module, a PSW800-1.44 DC power supply is used to drive the system. 6 is a high-level output port module, which is connected to the EWOD device to provide a high-level voltage
Summary
The open EWOD system has the advantages of saving samples, easy integration, multi-function, and precise operation [1,2,3], and so on It has been used in many fields and has great development potential. A gap of several micrometers in width can be etched on the surface of the ITO glass by using a mask, but this means that all traces and electrodes can only be laid out on one side of the glass [6]. It has serious limitations on the compatibility and expansibility of devices. In order to overcome those shortcomings, PCBs were used to prepare EWOD devices
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
