This volume contains an archival record of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Microfluidics Based Microsystems – Fundamentals and App- cations held in Çe ?me-Izmir, Turkey, August 23–September 4, 2009. ASIs are intended to be high-level teaching activity in scientific and technical areas of current concern. In this volume, the reader may find interesting chapters and various microsystems fundamentals and applications. As the world becomes increasingly concerned with terrorism, early - spot detection of terrorist’s weapons, particularly bio-weapons agents such as bacteria and viruses are extremely important. NATO Public Diplomacy division, Science for Peace and Security section support research, Advanced Study Institutes and workshops related to security. Keeping this policy of NATO in mind, we made such a proposal on Microsystems for security. We are very happy that leading experts agreed to come and lecture in this important NATO ASI. We will see many examples that will show us Microfluidics usefulness for rapid diagnostics following a bioterrorism attack. For the applications in national security and anti-terrorism, microfluidic system technology must meet the challenges. To develop microsystems for security and to provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art assessment of the existing research and applications by treating the subject in considerable depth through lectures from eminent professionals in the field, through discussions and panel sessions are very beneficial for young scientists in the field.

Starting from the basic principles of wetting, electrowetting and fluid dynamics all the way up to those engineering aspects relevant for the development of specific devices, this is a comprehensive introduction and overview of the theoretical and practical aspects. Written by two of the most knowledgeable experts in the field, the text covers both current as well as possible future applications, providing basic working principles of lab-on-a-chip devices and such optofluidic devices as adaptive lenses and optical switches. Furthermore, novel e-paper display technology, energy harvesting and supercapacitors as well as electrowetting in the nano-world are discussed. Finally, the book contains a series of exercises and questions for use in courses on microfluidics or electrowetting. With its all-encompassing scope, this book will equally serve the growing community of students and academic and industrial researchers as both an introduction and a standard reference.

Microdroplet technology has recently emerged to provide new and diverse applications via microfluidic functionality, especially in various areas of biology and chemistry. This book, then, gives an overview of the principle components and wide-ranging applications for state-of-the-art of droplet-based microfluidics. Chapter authors are internationally-leading researchers from chemistry, biology, physics and engineering that present various key aspects of micrdroplet technology -- fundamental flow physics, methodology and components for flow control, applications in biology and chemistry, and a discussion of future perspectives. This book acts as a reference for academics, post-graduate students, and researcher wishing to deepen their understand of microfluidics and introduce optimal design and operation of new droplet-based microfluidic devices for more comprehensive analyte assessments.

Digital Microfluidic Biochips focuses on the automated design and production of microfluidic-based biochips for large-scale bioassays and safety-critical applications. Bridging areas of electronic design automation with microfluidic biochip research, the authors present a system-level design automation framework that addresses key issues in the design, analysis, and testing of digital microfluidic biochips. The book describes a new generation of microfluidic biochips with more complex designs that offer dynamic reconfigurability, system scalability, system integration, and defect tolerance. Part I describes a unified design methodology that targets design optimization under resource constraints. Part II investigates cost-effective testing techniques for digital microfluidic biochips that include test resource optimization and fault detection while running normal bioassays. Part III focuses on different reconfiguration-based defect tolerance techniques designed to increase the yield and dependability of digital microfluidic biochips. Expanding upon results from ongoing research on CAD for biochips at Duke University, this book presents new design methodologies that address some of the limitations in current full-custom design techniques. Digital Microfluidic Biochips is an essential resource for achieving the integration of microfluidic components in the next generation of system-on-chip and system-in-package designs.

After spending over 12 years developing new microsystems for biotechnology – especially concerned with the microfluidic aspects of these devices – Jean Berthier is considered a leading authority in the field. Now, following the success of his book, Microfluidics for Biotechnology, Dr. Berthier returns to explain how new miniaturization techniques have dramatically expanded the area of microfluidic applications and microsystems into microdrops and digital microfluidics.Engineers interested in designing more versatile microsystems and students who seek to learn the fundamentals of microfluidics will all appreciate the wide-range of information found within Microdrops and Digital Microfluidics. The most recent developments in digital microfluidics are described in clear detail, with a specific focus on the computational, theoretical and experimental study of microdrops. - Over 500 equations and more than 400 illustrations - Authoritative reporting on the latest changes in microfluidic science, where microscopic liquid volumes are handled as "microdrops" and separately from "nanodrops" - A methodical examination of how liquid microdrops behave in the complex geometries of modern miniaturized systems and interact with different morphological (micro-fabricated, textured) solid substrates - A thorough explanation of how capillary forces act on liquid interfaces in contact with micro-fabricated surfaces - Analysis of how droplets can be manipulated, handled, or transported using electric fields (electrowetting), acoustic actuation (surface acoustic waves), or by a carrier liquid (microflow) - A fresh perspective on the future of microfluidics

This book provides a comprehensive methodology for automated design, test and diagnosis, and use of robust, low-cost, and manufacturable digital microfluidic systems. It focuses on the development of a comprehensive CAD optimization framework for digital microfluidic biochips that unifies different design problems. With the increase in system complexity and integration levels, biochip designers can utilize the design methods described in this book to evaluate different design alternatives, and carry out design-space exploration to obtain the best design point.

Design Automation Methods and Tools for Microfluidics-Based Biochips deals with all aspects of design automation for microfluidics-based biochips. Experts have contributed chapters on many aspects of biochip design automation. Topics covered include: device modeling; adaptation of bioassays for on-chip implementations; numerical methods and simulation tools; architectural synthesis, scheduling and binding of assay operations; physical design and module placement; fault modeling and testing; and reconfiguration methods.