A novel approach on fluid dispensing for a DNA/RNA extraction chip package

Micro fluidic package with integrated reservoirs has been developed for DNA /RNA extraction application. A membrane based pump which consists of a reservoir to store reagents and a pin valve to control the fluid is developed to dispense the reagents into the chip. A programmable external actuator is fabricated to dispense the fluid from the membrane pump into the DNA chip. An elastic and high elongation thin rubber membrane is used to seal the membrane pump and at the same time prevent actuator from mixing with different reagents in the micro fluidic package. Break displacement during actuation of membrane pump sealing material is studied with different ratios of PDMS and other types of rubber materials. The fluid flow from the reservoir to the chip is controlled by a pin valve which is activated during the external actuation. A CFD simulation is performed to study the pumping action dusting the external actuation and is validated with experimental results.