Comprehensive and Accessible Channel Routing for Microfluidic Devices

Abstract

Microfluidics is an emerging field that allows to minimize, integrate, and automate processes that are usually conducted with unwieldy laboratory equipment inside a single device; resulting in so-called “Labs-on-a-Chip” (LoCs). The design process of channel-based LoCs is still mainly conducted manually thus far - resulting in time-consuming tasks and error-prone designs. This also holds for the routing process, where multiple components inside an LoC should be connected according to a specification. In this work, we present a routing tool which considers the particular requirements of microfluidic applications and automates the routing process. In order to make the tool more accessible (even to users with little to no EDA-expertise), it is incorporated into a user-friendly and intuitive online interface.