Systems for operating electrokinetic devices

Abstract

A system for operating an electrokinetic device includes a support configured to hold and operatively couple with the electrokinetic device, an integrated electrical signal generation subsystem configured to apply a biasing voltage across a pair of electrodes in the electrokinetic device, and a light modulating subsystem configured to emit structured light onto the electrokinetic device. The system can further include a thermally controlled flow controller, and/or be configured to measure impedance across the electrokinetic device. The system can be a light microscope, including an optical train. The system can further include a light pipe, which can be part of the light modulating system, and which can be configured to supply light of substantially uniform intensity to the light modulating system or directly to the optical train.

1 . A system including the light microscope of  claim 56 , and configured for operating an optically actuated electrokinetic device, said system comprising:
 an electrical signal generation subsystem configured to apply a biasing voltage across a pair of electrodes in said electrokinetic device when said electrokinetic device is held by, and operatively coupled with, said support,   wherein the light microscope including the multi-input light pipe is configured to emit structured light onto said electrokinetic device when said electrokinetic device is held by, and operatively coupled with, said support.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said support comprises a socket configured to receive and interface with said electrokinetic device. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said electrical signal generation subsystem comprises a waveform generator configured to generate a biasing voltage waveform to be applied across said electrode pair when said electrokinetic device is held by, and operatively coupled with, said support. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein said electrical signal generation subsystem further comprises a waveform amplification circuit configured to amplify the biasing waveform generated by said waveform generator and an oscilloscope configured to measure the biasing voltage waveform, and wherein data from said measurement is provided as feedback to said waveform generator. 
     
     
         5 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising
 a first fluid line having a distal end configured to be fluidically coupled to an inlet port of said optically actuated electrokinetic device,   a second fluid line having a proximal end configured to be fluidically coupled to an outlet port of said optically actuated electrokinetic device, respectively, when said electrokinetic device is held by, and operatively coupled with, said support, and   at least one flow controller operatively coupled with one or both of said first and second fluid lines.   
     
     
         22 - 55 . (canceled) 
     
     
         56 . A microscope including the multi-input light pipe of  claim 77 , and configured for operating an electrokinetic device, said microscope comprising:
 a support configured to hold and operatively couple with an electrokinetic device;   a detector; and   an optical train,   wherein when an electrokinetic device is held by, and operatively coupled with, said support, said optical train is configured to
 (1) focus structured light emitted by said multi-input light pipe onto at least a first region of said electrokinetic device, 
 (2) focus unstructured light emitted by an unstructured light source onto at least a second region of said electrokinetic device, and 
 (3) capture reflected and/or emitted light from said electrokinetic device and direct said captured light to said detector. 
   
     
     
         57 . (canceled) 
     
     
         58 . The microscope of  claim 56 , wherein said detector comprises an eye piece and/or an imaging device. 
     
     
         59 . The microscope of  claim 56 , wherein said multi-input light pipe further comprises a digital mirror device (DMD) or a microshutter array system (MSA). 
     
     
         60 . The microscope of  claim 56 , wherein said multi-input light pipe further comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD), a liquid crystal on silicon device (LCOS), a ferroelectric liquid crystal on silicon device (FLCOS), or a scanning laser device. 
     
     
         61 . The microscope of  claim 56 , further comprising a controller configured for controlling said multi-input light pipe. 
     
     
         62 . The microscope of  claim 56 , wherein said optical train comprises an objective configured to focus said structured light on said first region of said microfluidic device and/or said unstructured light on said second region of said microfluidic device, and wherein said objective is selected from the group comprising:
 a 10× objective;   a 5× objective;   a 4× objective; and   a 2× objective.   
     
     
         63 . The microscope of  claim 56 , wherein said optical train comprises a dichroic filter configured to substantially prevent structured light emitted by said multi-input light pipe and reflected by said electrokinetic device from reaching the detector. 
     
     
         64 . The microscope of  claim 56 , wherein said optical train comprises a dichroic filter configured to balance an amount of visible structured light emitted by said multi-input light pipe and reflected by said electrokinetic device with an amount of visible unstructured light emitted by the unstructured light source and reflected by said electrokinetic device that reaches the detector. 
     
     
         65 . The microscope of  claim 56 , wherein said multi-input light pipe emits structured white light and/or comprises a Mercury arc lamp or a Xenon arc lamp. 
     
     
         66 . (canceled) 
     
     
         67 . The microscope of  claim 56 , wherein at least one of said multi-input light pipe and said unstructured light source comprises one or more LEDs. 
     
     
         68 . (canceled) 
     
     
         69 . The microscope of  claim 56 , wherein said unstructured light source emits one or more of:
 light having a wavelength of approximately 495 nm or shorter,   blue light,   light having a wavelength of approximately 650 nm or longer, and   red light.   
     
     
         70 . (canceled) 
     
     
         71 . The microscope of  claim 69 , wherein said optical train comprises a dichroic filter configured to at least partially filter out visible light having a wavelength longer than 495 nm and/or a wavelength shorter than 650 nm. 
     
     
         72 - 76 . (canceled) 
     
     
         77 . A multi-input light pipe, comprising:
 a light pipe housing having a plurality of input apertures, each input aperture configured to receive light emitted from a respective light source, the housing further having an output aperture configured to emit light received through the input apertures;   a first light propagation pathway extending within the housing from a first input aperture to the output aperture;   a first dichroic filter positioned within the housing at an oblique angle across the first light propagation pathway, the first dichroic filter configured and positioned so that light received through the first light aperture passes through the first dichroic filter as it propagates along the first light propagation pathway to the output aperture; and   a second light propagation pathway extending within the housing from a second input aperture to the first dichroic filter, the second propagation pathway and first dichroic filter configured and dimensioned so that light received through the second input aperture propagates along the second light propagation pathway and is reflected onto the first light propagation pathway to the output aperture by the first dichroic filter,   wherein the respective input apertures, first and second light propagation pathways, first dichroic filter, and output aperture are sized, dimensioned and configured such that light emitted by at least one light source and received through at least one of the first and second input apertures is emitted at substantially uniform intensity out the output aperture.   
     
     
         78 . The light pipe of  claim 77 , further comprising
 a second dichroic filter positioned within the housing at an oblique angle across the first light propagation pathway between the first dichroic filter and the output aperture, the second dichroic filter configured and positioned so that light received through the first and second light apertures passes through the second dichroic filter as said received light propagates along the first light propagation pathway to the output aperture, and   a third light propagation pathway extending within the housing from a third input aperture to the second dichroic filter, the third propagation pathway and second dichroic filter configured and dimensioned so that light received through the third input aperture propagates along the third light propagation pathway and is reflected onto the first light propagation pathway to the output aperture by the second dichroic filter.   
     
     
         79 . A light transmission system including the light pipe of  claim 77 , and further comprising a first light source having an output optically coupled with the first input aperture of the light pipe. 
     
     
         80 . The light transmission system of  claim 79 , wherein the first light source comprises a plurality of first light source emitting elements. 
     
     
         81 . The light transmission system of  claim 80 , wherein one or more of the first light source emitting elements emits light at a first narrowband wavelength. 
     
     
         82 . The light transmission system of  claim 79 , further comprising a second light source having an output optically coupled with the second input aperture of the light pipe. 
     
     
         83 . The light transmission system of  claim 82 , wherein the second light source comprises a plurality of second light source emitting elements. 
     
     
         84 . The light transmission system of  claim 83 , wherein one or more of the plurality of second light source emitting elements emits light at the first narrowband wavelength or a second narrowband wavelength different from the first narrowband wavelength. 
     
     
         85 . The light transmission system of  claim 84 , wherein the plurality of first light source emitting elements and the plurality of second light source emitting elements collectively including a first subset of one or more light emitting elements that emit light at the first narrowband wavelength, and a second subset of one or more light emitting elements that emit light at a second narrowband wavelength different from the first narrowband wavelength, such that light comprising one or both of the first narrowband wavelength and second narrowband wavelength may be controllably emitted out the light pipe output aperture by selectively activating one or both of the first and second subsets of light emitting elements. 
     
     
         86 . The light transmission system of  claim 85 , wherein light emitted by the first subset of light emitting elements and received through the first and/or second input apertures is emitted out the output aperture of the light pipe at a first substantially uniform intensity, and light emitted by the second subset of light emitting elements and received through the first and/or second input apertures is emitted out the output aperture at a second substantially uniform intensity. 
     
     
         87 . The light transmission system of  claim 86 , wherein the first substantially uniform intensity is different from the second substantially uniform intensity. 
     
     
         88 . The light transmission system of  claim 85 , wherein the first narrowband wave length and second narrowband wavelength are each selected from the group consisting of:
 approximately 380 nm;   approximately 480 nm; and   approximately 560 nm.   
     
     
         89 . The light transmission system of  claim 85 , the plurality of light emitting elements of the first light source comprising or consisting of all of the first subset of light emitting elements, and the plurality of light emitting elements of the second light source comprising or consisting of all of the second subset of light emitting elements. 
     
     
         90 . The light transmission system of  claim 82 , further comprising
 a third light source having an output optically coupled with the third input aperture of the light pipe.   
     
     
         91 . The light transmission system of  claim 90 , the third light source comprising a plurality of third light source emitting elements. 
     
     
         92 . The light transmission system of  claim 91 , wherein one or more of the plurality of third light source emitting elements emits light at the first narrowband wavelength, the second narrowband wavelength, or a third narrowband wavelength different from each of the first and second narrowband wavelengths. 
     
     
         93 . The light transmission system of  claim 92 , wherein the plurality of first light source emitting elements, the plurality of second light source emitting elements, and the plurality of third light source emitting elements collectively including a first subset of one or more light emitting elements that emit light at a first narrowband wavelength, a second subset of one or more light emitting elements that emit light at a second narrowband wavelength different from the first narrowband wavelength, and a third subset of one or more light emitting elements that emit light at a third narrowband wavelength different from each of the first and second narrowband wavelengths, such that light comprising one or more of the first narrowband wavelength, second narrowband wavelength, and third narrowband wavelength may be controllably emitted out the light pipe output aperture by selectively activating one or more of the first, second and third subsets of light emitting elements. 
     
     
         94 . The light transmission system of  claim 93 , wherein light emitted by the first subset of light emitting elements and received through any of the first, second and third input apertures is emitted out the output aperture at a first substantially uniform intensity, light emitted by the second subset of light emitting elements and received through any of the first, second and third input apertures is emitted out the output aperture at a second substantially uniform intensity, and light emitted by the third subset of light emitting elements and received through any of the first, second and third input apertures is emitted out the output aperture at a third substantially uniform intensity. 
     
     
         95 . The light transmission system of  claim 94 , wherein the first substantially uniform intensity is different from one or both of the second substantially uniform intensity and third substantially uniform intensity. 
     
     
         96 . The light transmission system of  claim 93 , wherein the first narrowband wave length is approximately 380 nm, the second narrowband wavelength is approximately 480 nm, and the third narrowband wavelength is approximately 560 nm. 
     
     
         97 . The light transmission system of  claim 93 , the plurality of light emitting elements of the first light source comprising or consisting of all of the first subset of light emitting elements, the plurality of light emitting elements of the second light source comprising or consisting of all of the second subset of light emitting elements, and the plurality of light emitting elements of the third light source comprising or consisting of all of the third subset of light emitting elements.