Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01L—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
  • B01L3/00—Containers or dishes for laboratory use, e.g. laboratory glassware; Droppers
  • B01L3/56—Labware specially adapted for transferring fluids
  • B01L3/561—Tubes; Conduits
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01K—MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G01K7/00—Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using thermoelectric elements
  • G01K7/02—Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using thermoelectric elements using thermoelectric elements, e.g. thermocouples
  • G01K7/028—Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using thermoelectric elements using thermoelectric elements, e.g. thermocouples using microstructures, e.g. made of silicon
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01Q—SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY [SPM]
  • G01Q60/00—Particular types of SPM [Scanning Probe Microscopy] or microscopes; Essential components thereof
  • G01Q60/02—Multiple-type SPM, i.e. involving more than one SPM techniques
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01Q—SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY [SPM]
  • G01Q70/00—General aspects of SPM probes, their manufacture or their related instrumentation, insofar as they are not specially adapted to a single SPM technique covered by group G01Q60/00
  • G01Q70/08—Probe characteristics
  • G01Q70/10—Shape or taper
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01L—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
  • B01L2300/00—Additional constructional details
  • B01L2300/08—Geometry, shape and general structure
  • B01L2300/0832—Geometry, shape and general structure cylindrical, tube shaped
  • B01L2300/0838—Capillaries

Definitions

• This invention is a general method for forming force sensing devices with multiple isolated channels in which two or more materials (solid, liquid or gas) can be isolated one from another. These devices have various attributes that result from this technology that can produce such devices that are either straight or cantilevered.
• the resulting structures, either cantilevered or uncantilevered, can be tapered to a small tip and should allow for the ability to sense surface forces while using one or multiple channels of the structure for another function.
• probes that could have multiple attributes such as chemical sensors in one channel with gas in another channel, micro vacuum devices with single channels that could suck up materials and air in a second channel to release such materials, unique nanometric thermocouples, micro voltage, micro capacitance, micro inductive, micromagnetic devices depending on electrical isolation or contact at the tip of electrically conducting materials, microlight detectors if the conductors in the channels are covered with photodetecting materials, microlight sources if the channels of conducting material are coated with electroluminescent materials, multiple channel fountain pens, multiple channel tips for multiple electrochemical and/or optical measurements, micro heating elements, stable micro devices for annealing, soldering, cutting, etc., Peltier microcooling devices, microdynamic cavitation bubble forming devices, generating devices with two isolated electrodes with appropriate electrical inputs, etc.
• the invention is a method to produce a type of probe based on multiple channels of isolated materials that can, if so desired, be cantilevered.
• the structures and the variety of applications that they provide are a result of the ability of these devices to sense surface forces and thus permit the control of these probes at or above specified surfaces in order to accomplish specific applications.
• Figure 1 illustrates an example of a multiple channel tapered structure that is part of this invention
• Figure 2 illustrates a structure similar to Figure 1 which is cantilevered
• Figure 3 illustrates another example of a multichannel structure as described herein:
• Figure 4 illustrates an example of a structure produced by the glass forming technology approach described herein.
• the invention is a general method and the resulting devices in which multiple channels (1.1 and 1.2) in Figure 1 can be formed into a tapered (illustrated at 1.3) or untapered structure (1.4) such that two or more materials (solid, liquid or gas) of either the same or different chemical composition are isolated from one another by a solid material, or till, (1.5) in the tip of the structure. At this tip the two materials can either be connected or left unconnected, depending on the application that is desired.
• Such structures can have force constants both as straight or cantilevered devices (see Figure 2 with channels 2.1 and 2.2 in a cantilevered, tapered structure 2.3) that allow for force sensing applications.
• multiple channels can also be produced that mix many of the attributes that are described above.
• An example of such a tapered structure (3.0) is shown in Figure 3, where three multiple channels are illustrated at 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 in a straight (non-cantilevered) emulation. Nonetheless, this does not limit these structures to three channels and such structures can be made with more than three channels.
• the three channel structures and structures with additional channels can be cantilevered as shown in Figure 2.
• a two-wire cantilevered structure that can be used for thermal resistance when the two isolated materials are metal and of the same composition, and can be used as a thermocouple or a Peltier cooler when the two materials are of different metallic composition.
• the two channels together with two metal wires in the channels produce a structure that has two tapered wires isolated by glass that can be either left straight or can be cantilevered.
• MEMs micro electro mechanical
• these structures could act as probes that could have multiple attributes such as chemical sensors in one channel with gas in another channel, can be micro vacuum devices with a single channel that could suck up materials and air and a second channel to release such materials, can be unique nanometric thermocouples, thermoresistors, micro voltage, micro capacitance, micro inductive, and micromagnetic devices, depending on electrical isolation or contact at the tip of electrically conducting materials, can be microlight detectors if the conductors in the channels are covered with photodetecting materials, microlight sources if the channels of conducting material are coated with electroluminescent materials, multiple channel fountain pens, multiple channel tips for multiple electrochemical and/or optical measurements, micro heating elements, can be stable micro devices for annealing, soldering, cutting, etc., or can be Peltier microcooling devices, microdynamic cavitation bubble forming devices, micro plasma generating devices with two isolated electrodes with appropriate electrical inputs, etc. In the past, some of these applications were attempted with single

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• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Radiology & Medical Imaging (AREA)
• Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
• Clinical Laboratory Science (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Micromachines (AREA)
• Force Measurement Appropriate To Specific Purposes (AREA)
• Measuring Fluid Pressure (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

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Citations (5)

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• 2000
  • 2000-09-21 EP EP00991370A patent/EP1218947A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2000-09-21 JP JP2001530545A patent/JP2003511690A/ja active Pending
  • 2000-09-21 WO PCT/US2000/021978 patent/WO2001027581A2/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (5)

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