A new cross contamination aware routing method with intelligent path exploration in digital microfluidic biochips

Abstract

Digital microfluidic systems in recent years have been developed as an alternative platform for execution of multiple conventional laboratory methods simultaneously on a single planar 2D array of electrodes targeted for biochemical analysis and biomedical applications. Due to its discrete nature droplets can be manipulated through multiple reconfigurable paths derived by preprogrammed electrode actuation sequences through this planar array known as digital microfluidic biochip system. Cross contamination between heterogeneous samples turns out to be a major issue concerned with transportation of droplets and correctness of the detection results for the bioassay protocols -which is highly significant for clinical diagnostics and toxicity monitoring applications. In this paper we have proposed an intelligent route path exploration technique that attempts partially or completely to avoid the number of cross contamination depending on the fluidic constraints employed during routing. The path is further refined using intelligent detour by identifying zones of friction between two adjacent route paths that optimizes the overall route time by reducing the overall time for stalling while routing -as well as further optimization of resources to be utilized. The simulation is carried out on test benches of benchmark suite I and benchmark suite III. The results show improvement in overall as well as average route time and major reduction in the number of crossovers. © 2013 IEEE.