Thin-film thermoelectric cooling and heating devices for DNA genomic and proteomic chips, thermo-optical switching circuits, and IR tags

Abstract

A thermoelectric cooling and heating device including a substrate, a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of the substrate and configured to perform at least one of selective heating and cooling such that each thermoelectric element includes a thermoelectric material, a Peltier contact contacting the thermoelectric material and forming under electrical current flow at least one of a heated junction and a cooled junction, and electrodes configured to provide current through the thermoelectric material and the Peltier contact. As such, the thermoelectric cooling and heating device selectively biases the thermoelectric elements to provide on one side of the thermolectric device a grid of localized heated or cooled junctions.

1 . A thermoelectric cooling and heating device comprising: 
 a substrate;    a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of the substrate and configured to perform at least one of selective heating and cooling, each thermoelectric element including, a thermoelectric material, a Peltier contact contacting the thermoelectric material and configured to form under electrical current flow at least one of a heated junction and a cooled junction, and electrodes configured to provide current through the thermoelectric material and the Peltier contact; and    a receptacle thermally contacting the thermoelectric elements and including an array of patches configured to receive a biological material.    
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the patches of the receptacle are aligned with the thermoelectric elements.  
   
   
       3 . (canceled)  
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the biological material includes DNA material for genomics analysis.  
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the biological material includes proteins for proteomics analysis.  
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric elements are configured to at least one of heat and cool the biological material.  
   
   
       7 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the patches are configured to receive as the biological material single stranded DNA and the thermoelements are configured to control the temperature of the single stranded DNA for polymorphism conformation.  
   
   
       8 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the thermoelectric elements are configured to at least one of heat and cool DNA double-helix material to form single-stranded DNA material.  
   
   
       9 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the thermoelectric elements are configured to provide localized thermo-genetic switches to switch at least one of DNA chemistry, DNA-RNA chemistry, protein synthesis, cross conversion dominant genes to recessive genes, and production of antibodies.  
   
   
       10 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the patches are configured to receive as the DNA material single stranded DNA and the thermoelements are configured to control the temperature of the single stranded DNA for polymorphism conformation.  
   
   
       11 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the thermoelectric elements are configured to have a thermal response time less than 1.0 ms.  
   
   
       12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the thermoelectric elements are configured to heat shock biological material including at least one of DNA material, proteins, and protein-related DNA.  
   
   
       13 - 18 . (canceled)  
   
   
       19 . A thermoelectric cooling and heating device comprising: 
 a substrate;    a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of the substrate and configured to perform at least one of selective heating and cooling, each thermoelectric element including, a thermoelectric material, a Peltier contact contacting the thermoelectric material and configured to form under electrical current flow at least one of a heated junction and a cooled junction, and electrodes configured to provide current through the thermoelectric material and the Peltier contact; and    a microsurgical tool thermally contacting the thermoelectric elements and configured to control the temperature of bio-tissues in contact with the microsurgical tool.    
   
   
       20 . A thermoelectric cooling and heating device comprising: 
 a substrate;    a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of the substrate and configured to perform at least one of selective heating and cooling, each thermoelectric element including, a thermoelectric material, a Peltier contact contacting the thermoelectric material and configured to form under electrical current flow at least one of a heated junction and a cooled junction, and electrodes configured to provide current through the thermoelectric material and the Peltier contact; and    a thermo-optic phase shifter in thermal contact with the plurality of thermoelectric elements and configured to vary an index of refraction of an optical medium via temperature variations.    
   
   
       21 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the thermoelectric elements are configured to heat the thermo-optic phase shifter.  
   
   
       22 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the thermoelectric elements are configured to cool the thermo-optic phase shifter.  
   
   
       23 . (canceled)  
   
   
       24 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the thermoelectric elements are configured to have a thermal response time less than 1.0 ms.  
   
   
       25 - 32 . (canceled)  
   
   
       33 . A thermoelectric cooling and heating device comprising: 
 a substrate;    a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of the substrate and configured to perform at least one of selective heating and cooling, each thermoelectric element including, a thermoelectric material, a Peltier contact contacting the thermoelectric material and configured to form under electrical current flow at least one of a heated junction and a cooled junction, and electrodes configured to provide current through the thermoelectric material and the Peltier contact; and    an integrated module including at least one electronic component in thermal contact with the plurality of thermoelectric elements and configured to control a temperature of the at least one electronic component of the integrated module.    
   
   
       34 . The device of  claim 33 , wherein the thermoelectric elements are configured to selectively heat the at least one electronic component.  
   
   
       35 . The device of  claim 33 , wherein the thermoelectric elements are configured to selectively cool the at least one electronic component.  
   
   
       36 - 38 . (canceled)  
   
   
       39 . The device of  claim 33 , wherein the integrated module comprises an optoelectronics module.  
   
   
       40 . The device of  claim 39 , wherein the optoelectronics module includes at least one of a bias circuit, a laser driver, a monitor diode, a VCSEL array, an out-going optical connector, an in-coming optical connector, a photodetector, a pre-amplification circuit, and a post-amplification circuit.  
   
   
       41 . The device of  claim 33 , wherein the integrated module comprises an infrared imaging array.  
   
   
       42 . A thermoelectric cooling and heating device comprising: 
 a substrate;    a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of the substrate and configured to perform at least one of selective heating and cooling, each thermoelectric element including, a thermoelectric material, a Peltier contact contacting the thermoelectric material and configured to form under electrical current flow at least one of a heated junction and a cooled junction, and electrodes configured to provide current through the thermoelectric material and the Peltier contact; and    a switching optical network including optical switches in thermal contact with the plurality of thermoelectric elements and configured to control a temperature of the optical switches in the switching optical network.    
   
   
       43 . The device of  claim 42 , wherein the optical switches comprise electroholographic optical switches.  
   
   
       44 . (canceled)  
   
   
       45 . The device of  claim 42 , wherein the optical switches comprise thermocapillary switches.  
   
   
       46 . The device of  claim 45 , wherein the optical switches comprise bubblejet switches.  
   
   
       47 . A thermoelectric cooling and heating device comprising: 
 a substrate;    a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of the substrate and configured to perform at least one of selective heating and cooling, each thermoelectric element including, a thermoelectric material, a Peltier contact contacting the thermoelectric material and configured to form under electrical current flow at least one of a heated junction and a cooled junction, and electrodes configured to provide current through the thermoelectric material and the Peltier contact; and    a cellular communications network including micro-strip delay lines in thermal contact with the plurality of thermoelectric elements and configured to control a temperature of the micro-strip delay lines in the cellular communications network.    
   
   
       48 - 55 . (canceled)  
   
   
       56 . A method for hybridizing DNA, comprising: 
 depositing a first set of DNA strands across at least a part of a DNA array;    cooling selected sites on the DNA array to attach the first set of DNA strands onto the selected sites;    heating the selected sites to unravel the attached strands of DNA and to detach strands of DNA which are not cross-linked to the selected sites; and    hybridizing the attached strands of DNA with a second set of DNA strands.    
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 56 , further comprising: 
 exposing, between the steps of heating and cooling, attached DNA strands to UV light to promote cross-linking to the selected sites.    
   
   
       58 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the steps of cooling and heating comprises: 
 controlling a temperature at the selected sites with a thermoelectric cooler including a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of a substrate and configured to perform at least one of selected heating and cooling.    
   
   
       59 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the step of controlling further comprises: 
 biasing selectively electrodes of each of the thermoelectric elements in at least one of a first direction to form a cooled junction and a second direction to form a heated junction.    
   
   
       60 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the step of cooling comprises: 
 attaching the first set of DNA strands utilizing at least one of charge-bonding and electrovalent bonding.    
   
   
       61 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the step of attaching further comprises: 
 providing, prior to the step of cooling, lysine on the array, and cross-linking the first set of DNA strands to the lysine with UV light exposure.    
   
   
       62 . The method of  claim 56 , further comprising: 
 biasing the selected elements to the DNA at the selected sites.    
   
   
       63 . A method for controlling temperature during electrophoresis of a biological material onto an array, comprising: 
 depositing electrophoretically biological material across at least a part of the array; cooling selected sites on the array during the electrophoresis to attach a first set of biological material onto the selected sites; and    heating the selected sites to detach biological material which is not cross-linked to the selected sites.    
   
   
       64 . The method of  claim 63 , further comprising: 
 exposing, between the steps of heating and cooling, attached biological material to UV light to promote cross-linking to the selected sites.    
   
   
       65 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the steps of cooling and heating comprises: 
 controlling a temperature at the selected sites with a thermoelectric cooler including a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of a substrate and configured to perform at least one of selected heating and cooling.    
   
   
       66 . The method of  claim 65 , wherein the step of controlling further comprises: 
 biasing selectively electrodes of each of the thermoelectric elements in at least one of a first direction to form a cooled junction and a second direction to form a heated junction.    
   
   
       67 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the step of cooling includes the step of: 
 attaching as the biological material at least a first set of DNA strands and a first set of proteins.    
   
   
       68 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the step of cooling comprises: 
 attaching the biological material utilizing at least one of charge-bonding and electrovalent bonding.    
   
   
       69 . The method of  claim 68 , wherein the step of attaching further comprises: 
 providing, prior to the step of cooling, lysine on the array; and    cross-linking the biological material to the lysine with UV light exposure.    
   
   
       70 . The method of  claim 63 , further comprising: 
 biasing the selected elements to pool the biological material at the selected sites.    
   
   
       71 - 76 . (canceled)  
   
   
       77 . A method for producing an infrared image, comprising: 
 providing an array of thermoelectric elements; and    controlling a temperature at selected sites on the array of thermoelectric elements.    
   
   
       78 . The method of  claim 77 , wherein the step of controlling a temperature comprises: 
 controlling a plurality of said thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of a substrate and configured to perform at least one of selected heating and cooling.    
   
   
       79 . The method of  claim 78 , wherein the step of controlling further comprises: 
 biasing selectively electrodes of each of the thermoelectric elements in at least one of a first direction to form a cooled junction and a second direction to form a heated junction.    
   
   
       80 - 82 . (canceled)  
   
   
       83 . A method for improving cellular communications, comprising: 
 providing an array of thermoelectric elements thermally connected to a micro-strip delay line; and    controlling a temperature of the micro-strip delay line in a cellular communications system.    
   
   
       84 . The method of  claim 83 , wherein the step of controlling a temperature comprises: 
 controlling the temperature with a thermoelectric cooler including a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of a substrate and configured to perform at least one of selected heating and cooling.    
   
   
       85 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein the step of controlling further comprises: 
 biasing selectively electrodes of each of the thermoelectric elements in at least one of a first direction to form a cooled junction and a second direction to form a heated junction.    
   
   
       86 - 90 . (canceled)  
   
   
       91 . A system for hybridizing DNA material, comprising: 
 a depositing device configured to deposit a first set of DNA strands across at least a part of a DNA array; means for cooling selected sites on the DNA array to attach the first set of DNA strands onto the selected sites; means for heating the selected sites to unravel the attached strands of DNA and to detach strands of DNA which are not cross-linked to the selected sites; and    means for hybridizing the attached strands of DNA with a second set of DNA strands.    
   
   
       92 . The system of  claim 91 , wherein the means for cooling and the means for heating comprise: 
 a thermoelectric cooler including a plurality of thermoelectric elements configured to perform at least one of selected heating and cooling of the array; and    a controlling device configured to control a temperature at the selected sites with a thermoelectric cooler.    
   
   
       93 - 99 . (canceled)  
   
   
       100 . A system for producing an infrared image, comprising: 
 an array of thermoelectric elements, and a controlling device configured to control a temperature at selected sites on the array of thermoelectric elements.    
   
   
       101 . The system of  claim 100 , wherein the controlling device comprises: 
 a thermoelectric cooler including a plurality of thermoelectric elements thermally in contact with the selected sites and configured to perform at least one of selected heating and cooling one side of the array.    
   
   
       102 - 103 . (canceled)  
   
   
       104 . A system for improving cellular communications, comprising: 
 a controlling device configured to control a temperature of at least one micro-strip delay line in a cellular communications system.    
   
   
       105 . The system of  claim 104 , wherein the cellular communication system is spread spectrum system.  
   
   
       106 . The system of  claim 104 , wherein the controlling device comprises: 
 a thermoelectric cooler including a plurality of thermoelectric elements thermally in contact with the at least one micro-strip delay line and configured to perform at least one of selected heating and cooling of the at least one micro-strip delay line.    
   
   
       107 - 131 . (canceled)