Patent ID: 11867672
Assignee: ILLUMINA, INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  C  B | IPC C  G

Claim 3:
4. A method comprising:
flowing fluid through a flow cell, the fluid containing nucleotides, the flow cell comprising a flow cell body defining one or more flow channels, each flow channel of the one or more flow channels to receive a flow of fluid, each flow channel of the one or more flow channels having:
(i) a floor,
(ii) a plurality of wells defined as recesses in the floor, each well of the plurality of wells being fluidically coupled with the corresponding flow channel of the one or more flow channels, the floor of the flow channel of the one or more flow channels defining interstitial surfaces between adjacent wells of the plurality of wells, and
(iii) a plurality of barrier features positioned above the plurality of wells or in the plurality of wells, the plurality of barrier features to reduce optical cross-talk between the plurality of wells;
determining a first subset of the plurality of wells that are unused, and that are not adjacent to a used well of the plurality of wells;

activating electrode assemblies at bottom regions of each well of the first subset to generate machine-written polynucleotides within each well of the first subset, the machine-written polynucleotides within each well of the first subset representing stored data, while leaving the plurality of barrier features deactivated;
determining a second subset of the plurality of wells that are unused, but that are adjacent to a used well of the plurality of wells; and
activating electrode assemblies at bottom regions of each well of the second subset to generate machine-written polynucleotides within each well of the second subset, the machine-written polynucleotides the machine-written polynucleotides within each well of the second subset representing stored data, after activating the barrier features to reduce optical cross-talk between adjacent wells of the plurality of wells.