Concept validation of a MEMS powered, automatic multichannel pipetting device

Small liquid volumes are commonly handled in biological research by means of manual devices or by rather complex automatic systems. Micropipettes, which are the most used devices, require manual operation, which limits their accuracy and may lead to sample contamination if improperly used. Diaphragm micropumps are proposed as an alternative to micropipettes for the liquid-manipulation system reported in this work. The average difference in the delivered volumes is of 0.66 microliters for a total volume of 22 microliters, the difference being attributable to experimental conditions requiring a more precise adjustment. Furthermore, to facilitate the MEMS-based automation process, a functionality analysis of the micropumps was performed in an 8-output circuit. A satisfactory result was obtained, with a more uniform set of volumes obtained in these tests.