Dynamic surface analysis for acoustic droplet ejection

Abstract

A system for ejecting droplets from a surface of a sample using acoustic energy includes: a processor; a transducer configured to receive electrical energy and emit corresponding acoustic energy, and further configured to receive acoustic energy and generate corresponding electrical energy; a transmitter in communication with the processor and transducer, wherein the transmitter is configured to receive at least one signal from the processor and transmit corresponding electrical energy to the transducer; and a receiver in communication with the processor and transducer, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the electrical energy generated by the transducer and transmit at least one corresponding signal to the processor, wherein the transducer is configured to emit a first acoustic signal, a second acoustic signal, and a third acoustic signal, wherein the first acoustic signal is determined to cause a mound phase during which a droplet is formed at the surface of the sample, the second acoustic signal is selected to interrogate the surface of the sample during the mound phase, and the third acoustic signal is selected to further interrogate the surface of the sample during the mound phase.

Description

Abstract A system for ejecting droplets from the surface of a sample using acoustic energy includes: a processor; a transducer configured to receive electrical energy and emit corresponding acoustic energy, and further configured to receive acoustic energy and generate corresponding electrical energy; a transmitter communicating with the processor and the transducer, wherein the transmitter is configured to receive at least one signal from the processor and send corresponding electrical energy to the transducer; and a receiver communicating with the processor and the transducer, wherein the receiver is configured to receive electrical energy generated by the transducer and send at least one corresponding signal to the processor, wherein the transducer is configured to emit a first acoustic signal, a second acoustic signal, and a third acoustic signal, wherein the first acoustic signal is determined to cause a bulging phase during which droplets are formed at the surface of the sample, the second acoustic signal is selected to probe the surface of the sample during the bulging phase, and the third acoustic signal is selected to further probe the surface of the sample during the bulging phase.

Claims

Attorney Docket No.22US0151-WO (66738WO01) CLAIMS 1. A system for ejecting droplets from a surface of a sample using acoustic energy, the system comprising: a processor; a transducer configured to receive electrical energy and emit corresponding acoustic energy, and further configured to receive acoustic energy and generate corresponding electrical energy; a transmitter in communication with the processor and transducer, wherein the transmitter is configured to receive at least one signal from the processor and transmit corresponding electrical energy to the transducer; and a receiver in communication with the processor and transducer, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the electrical energy generated by the transducer and transmit at least one corresponding signal to the processor, wherein the transducer is configured to emit a first acoustic signal, a second acoustic signal, and a third acoustic signal, wherein the first acoustic signal is determined to cause a mound phase during which a droplet is formed at the surface of the sample, the second acoustic signal is selected to interrogate the surface of the sample during the mound phase, and the third acoustic signal is selected to further interrogate the surface of the sample during the mound phase.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second acoustic signal and the third acoustic signal are part of a plurality of interrogation pings, wherein the transducer is configured to emit the interrogation pings at intervals of between approximately 50 to 100 µS.

3. The system of any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of interrogation pings comprises between approximately 4 to 2000 pings.

4. The system of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the processor is configured to receive information corresponding to reflections of the second acoustic signal and the third acoustic signal from the surface of the sample, wherein the processor is configured to determine at least one characteristic of the mound phase based at least in part on said information.

5. The system of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the at least one characteristic of the mound phase comprises at least one of a droplet size, the droplet linear velocity, the droplet angular velocity, the droplet radial displacement, the droplet breakoff position, the surface position, the surface velocity, the surface acceleration, a mound formation rate, or the mound relaxation rate.

6. The system of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the transducer is further configured to emit a fourth acoustic signal, wherein the fourth acoustic signal is determined to cause a second mound phase during which a second droplet is ejected from the surface of the sample, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the fourth acoustic signal according to the at least one characteristic of the mound phase.Attorney Docket No.22US0151-WO (66738WO01) 7. The system of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the first acoustic signal and the fourth acoustic signal comprise at least one of a different power, frequency, or duration.

8. A system for ejecting droplets from a surface of a sample using acoustic energy, the system comprising: a processor; a transducer configured to receive electrical energy and emit corresponding acoustic energy, and further configured to receive acoustic energy and generate corresponding electrical energy; a transmitter in communication with the processor and transducer, wherein the transmitter is configured to receive at least one signal from the processor and transmit corresponding electrical energy to the transducer; and a receiver in communication with the processor and transducer, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the electrical energy generated by the transducer and transmit at least one corresponding signal to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to cause the transducer to emit a droplet-forming signal to cause a mound phase during which a droplet is ejected from the surface of the signal, and to further emit a plurality of pings at least one of before, during, or after the mound phase, wherein the processor is further configured to receive information from the receiver corresponding to reflections of the plurality of pings, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine at least one characteristic of the mound phase according to the information received from the receiver corresponding to reflections of the plurality of pings.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the transducer to emit a second droplet- forming signal to cause a second mound phase, during which a second droplet is ejected from the surface of the sample, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the second droplet-forming signal based at least in part on the information received from the receiver corresponding to reflections of the plurality of pings.

10. The system of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the second droplet-forming signal is determined according to a machine- learning model.

11. The system of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the droplet-forming signal and the second droplet-forming signal are determined such that the first droplet and the second droplet have at least one of a different volume or separation velocity.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one characteristic of the mound phase comprises at least one of a droplet size, the droplet linear velocity, the droplet angular velocity, the droplet radial displacement, the droplet breakoff position, the surface position, the surface velocity, the surface acceleration, a mound formation rate, or the mound relaxation rate.Attorney Docket No.22US0151-WO (66738WO01) 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the transducer is configured to emit the plurality of pings at intervals of between approximately 50 to 100 µS.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of pings comprises between approximately 4 to 2000 pings.

15. A method for implementing any one of claims 1-14.

Images