Thermal management at the micro-scale is of interest to those practising process intensification, as well as electronics engineers. The link given below to a paper in Electronics Cooling magazine links the two by examining thermal control of a lab-on-a-chip device.
The article concludes by describing the numerical analysis and temperature control of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Lab-on-a-Chip, enabling the amplification of DNA, essentially consisting of a number of fluid cells, to be positioned on a cooling chuck provided with heaters, guards, sensors and control circuitry.
The numerical study incorporated all parameters that were seen as potentially of influence: dimensions and material choices, heater and guard layout, interfaces, boundary conditions etc. Due to space limitation only a few results are presented.
It is argued that numerical analysis is an indispensable tool when it comes to timely and optimal design. It is shown that by taking appropriate measures the required speed (>10 K/s) and temperature uniformity (<1 °C) could be realized, provided the interface resistance between the disposable and the cooling chuck can be controlled to within narrow limits.
Lab-on-a-Chip Thermal Management Solutions
Clemens J.M. Lasance and Marc Ponjée
