Abstract: Polymer-based biomaterials are popular due to ease of fabrication and low costs. However, many polymer substrates have undesirable surface properties. The invention provides a procedure to covalently apply a graft polymer to the surface of a polymer substrate by ultraviolet graft polymerization. The graft polymer is formed from monomers such as PEG, AA, monomethoxy acrylate PEG, HEMA, or DMA. Also, mixed monomers may be used to create the graft and the surface properties of the graft may be tailored for different properties, including hydrophobicity, friction coefficient, electroosmotic mobilities and electrophoretic separations. The invention has particular utility in tailoring surface chemistries in ocular lenses and polymer microdevices. I. II.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a reinforcing system and method for reinforcing a contact pad of an integrated circuit. Specifically exemplified is a system and method that comprises a reinforcing structure interposed between a top contact pad layer and an underlying metal layer.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that facilitate the formation of micro-mechanical structures and related systems on a laminated substrate. More particularly, a micro-mechanical device and a three-dimensional multiple frequency antenna are provided for in which the micro-mechanical device and antenna, as well as additional components, can be fabricated together concurrently on the same laminated substrate. The fabrication process includes a low temperature deposition process allowing for deposition of an insulator material at a temperature below the maximum operating temperature of the laminated substrate, as well as a planarization process allowing for the molding and planarizing of a polymer layer to be used as a form for a micro-mechanical device.

Abstract: A system integration of multicomponent technologies includes an automated microfluidic probe station and the use of that station for the systematic study of nonideal, nonhomogeneous biological fluids such as blood in microfluidic chips. The probe station provides for real-time, non-invasive metrology of microfluidic chips employing optical coherence tomography and optical Doppler tomography to allow for collection of flow data at any location or depth within a microfluidics chip. Also included is a programmable fluidic loader and actuator platform as part of the probe station, and a semi-automated rapid prototyping tool used to fabricate the microfluidic chips measured on the probe station. The resulting data library produced by measurements on the probe station contains all the necessary information needed to develop mature, accurate microfluidic modeling and simulation CAD tools.

Abstract: The invention comprises an oral platform, a microchip for making physiological tests and/or delivery of drugs, and a stick connected to the platform to serve as a handle or conduit from the microchip for exterior communication. A candy shell coating on the platform incorporates medicinal agents. The platform has a plurality of fluidic ports conducive for communication of saliva to or oral delivery from the microchip. A base unit is connected to the stick and communicates to the microchip. The platform, microchip, and stick are combined together into a lollipop and further comprise a plurality of base units which are interchangeable with a plurality of lollipops. A cradle unit capable of is temporarily coupled to the base unit for recharging the base unit. The cradle unit further provides data processing, communication and/or display. The invention is also a method of making physiological tests and/or delivering drugs with the above device.

Abstract: Systems and methods that facilitate crystallization studies through the use of a system of microfluidics, sensors, actuators, and computer instrumentation to enable automated microcrystallization experiments using feedback assisted control and data from a protein crystallization or solubility database. In a preferred embodiment, the crystallization system comprises a database containing quantitative information about the chemical and physical properties under various thermodynamics conditions of the molecule or compounds of interest and a feedback assisted, dynamically controlled chemical system. The chemical system includes a controller that accesses the database and can monitor and control the state of one or more experiments, a software program that uses database information, sensory information, historical information and the like to change the conditions of the experiment, and a crystallization platform that allows computer control and sensing of one or more chemical experiments.

Abstract: The invention provides apparatus and methods for subsecond lysis of selected cells in a cell chamber using a voltage pulse of 10 ms to 10 &mgr;s in duration followed by nearly simultaneous collection of the lysed cellular contents into a capillary electrophoresis tube or other suitable micro-collection device. Cell chambers and capillary electrophoresis tubes configured with electrodes for performing the electrical lysis are described. The influence of variables that govern the rate of cell lysis, such as inter-electrode distance, pulse duration, and pulse strength are also described. The methods are illustrated using fluorophores that are loaded into a cell then collected following electrical lysis, separated by electrophoresis, and then detected by laser-induced fluorescence detection in a capillary electrophoresis system.

Abstract: A system integration of multicomponent technologies includes an automated microfluidic probe station and the use of that station for the systematic study of nonideal, nonhomogeneous biological fluids such as blood in microfluidic chips. The probe station provides for real-time, non-invasive metrology of microfluidic chips employing optical coherence tomography and optical Doppler tomography to allow for collection of flow data at any location or depth within a microfluidics chip. Also included is a programmable fluidic loader and actuator platform as part of the probe station, and a semi-automated rapid prototyping tool used to fabricate the microfluidic chips measured on the probe station. The resulting data library produced by measurements on the probe station contains all the necessary information needed to develop mature, accurate microfluidic modeling and simulation CAD tools.