Development of a Slug-Flow PCR Chip with Minimum Heating Cycle Times

S. Hardt, D. Dadic, F. Doffing, K.S. Drese, G. Münchow and O. Sörensen
Institute of Microtechnology Mainz, DE

Keywords: microfluidics, PCR, heat transfer, slug flow

Abstract:
A microfluidic PCR device is presented capable of rapid temperature ramping and handling of sample volumes in the microliter and submicroliter range. The PCR chip comprises a straight micro channel in which a sample slug is periodically moved over three temperature zones. As part of the sample preparation a method for metering of the sample volume was developed. The PCR chip and the chips for sample preparation and fluidic actuation were fabricated by ultra-precision milling in polymer substrates. Computer simulations suggest that the sample slugs are heated or cooled on a time scale of some ten milliseconds when transported to a different temperature zone. The fluidic actuation based on a ferrofluid transducer is capable of positioning the sample volumes with a high accuracy after a large number of cycles. The design developed should be ideally suited for fast PCR of small sample amounts in a highly parallel manner.

Nanotech 2004 Conference Technical Program Abstract