Patent ID: 8608891

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a microfluidic sensor, comprising: providing a thin film substrate configured as an electrically insulating barrier effective to resist fluid and particle travel through uninterrupted portions there-of; applying electrically conductive ink, by way of a printing process, onto structure for assembled disposition to form at least one electrode disposed on each side of said substrate; forming a first tunnel through said thin film substrate by removing material from a portion of said thin film substrate to permit fluid passage there-through, said first tunnel being sized less than about 0.2 mm in a cross-section length to promote passage there-through of particles of interest in substantially single-file travel; and providing channel structure configured such that all fluid flowing from a position of contact with a first electrode disposed on a first side of said thin film substrate must pass through said first tunnel before encountering a second electrode disposed on the opposite side of said thin film substrate.