US 11,850,595 B2
Nanofluidic flow cell and method of loading same
Sabrina Rose Leslie, Montréal (CA); François Michaud, Montréal (CA); Daniel James Berard, Montréal (CA); Gilead Henkin, Montréal (CA); and Albert Kamanzi, Montréal (CA)
Assigned to The Royal Institution for the Advancement of ..., Montreal (CA)
Filed by THE ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING/MCGILL UNIVERSITY, Montréal (CA)
Filed on Dec. 4, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/112,297.
Application 17/112,297 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/654,339, filed on Jul. 19, 2017, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/364,359, filed on Jul. 20, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2021/0114030 A1, Apr. 22, 2021
Int. Cl. B81B 1/00 (2006.01); B01L 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC B01L 3/502761 (2013.01) [B01L 2200/0668 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0681 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0816 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0893 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0896 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A flow cell for confining molecules in a fluid, comprising:
an upper substrate comprising a pair of diagonally opposed sample inlet and sample outlet and a pair of diagonally opposed reagent inlet and reagent outlet;
a center substrate comprising
a pair of diagonally opposed sample inlet and sample outlet vertically aligned and in fluid communication with the sample inlet and sample outlet of the upper substrate, respectively; and
a center outlet comprising at least one sensing chamber;
a lower substrate;
an upper support member positioned below the upper substrate and above the center substrate,
the upper support member comprising a pair of diagonally opposed sample inlet and sample outlet vertically aligned and in fluid communication with both the sample inlet and sample outlet of the center substrate and the sample inlet and sample outlet of the upper substrate, respectively;
the upper support member further comprising a reagent exchange chamber in fluid communication with and extending in between the diagonally opposed reagent inlet and reagent outlet of the upper substrate, the reagent exchange chamber being also in fluid communication with the center outlet of the center substrate;
a membrane positioned below the center substrate and above the lower substrate, the membrane comprising a pair of diagonally opposed sample inlet and sample outlet vertically aligned and in fluid communication with the sample inlets and the sample outlets respectively;
a lower support member positioned below the membrane and above the lower substrate,
the lower support member comprising an imaging chamber extending in between and in fluid communication with the diagonally opposed sample inlets and the sample outlets.