DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

[0035] The systems and methods disclosed herein have broad applications in nano- and/or bio-technology, medicine and combination of the above. Some embodiments of this invention can be useful for pumping, mixing, atomization, heating up and melting of the medium in nano- and/or micro channels of the devices of different kinds with and without nano objects.

[0036] In the embodiments of the invention the electromagnetic radiation coming from the source of the beamed radiation through waveguide can be utilized in the form of the thermal energy. In accordance with present invention the energy from the source of the beamed radiation connected with one side of the waveguide is transferred to another side of the waveguide. The transmitter with at least one transparent for the beamed radiation thermal resistant tip on the other side of the waveguide is connected with at least one thermal conductive layer having good absorption properties for the beamed radiation.

[0037] In certain embodiments, the transmitter converts the energy from the source of the beamed radiation into the thermal energy and this thermal energy can be transmitted to the medium for heating up and overheating of this medium in a close proximity to the transmitter.

[0038] In other embodiments, the expansion of the overheated medium generates directed pumping force and motion of the medium in a close proximity to the transmitter and delivers this motion to another parts of the medium for the pumping of this medium in nano- and/or micro channels.

[0039] In some embodiments, the alternative way to implement each primary element of this invention is the following: the source of the beamed radiation can be a laser with impulse and/or continuous wave (cw) optically connected with one side of the fiber optic for transferring of the radiation energy.

[0040] In other embodiments, a fiber optic has at least one thermal resistant nanoprobe tip transparent for cw and/or impulse beamed radiation with subwavelength aperture. This nanoprobe tip transparent for the beamed radiation has on the surface at least one thin film layer with good absorption properties for the beamed radiation and good thermal conductivity properties.

[0041] First, it means that a nanoprobe tip transparent for the beamed radiation has on the surface at least one thin film layer with good absorption properties for the beamed radiation and good thermal conductivity properties, converts the radiation energy into the thermal energy, and transfers this thermal energy to the medium for overheating this medium in a close proximity to the transmitter.

[0042] Second, it means that the overheated medium by using of cw and/or impulse beamed radiation generates directed pumping force and provides a cw and/or impulse nano- and/or micro-size jet stream. An impulse and/or nano- and/or micro-size jet stream provides pumping of the medium in nano- and micro-metric dimensional channels.

[0043] In various embodiments, an impulse and/or nano- and/or micro-size jet stream provides positioning, selection and/or separation of the different types of nano- and/or micro-objects including toxic bio agents in their original forms.

[0044] In certain embodiments, an impulse and/or nano- and/or micro-size jet stream provides mixing, stirring and/or atomization of the medium in nano- and/or micro-metric dimensional volume for ultra-cleaning procedures in particle-producing processes like chemical mechanical planarization (CMP). This process is necessary in semiconductor and/or MEMS device fabrication. CMP leaves tens of thousands of sub-micron and micron size particles that must be removed before further processing otherwise they cause defects in finished integrated circuits. (Hymes D., at all, 1998. The challenges of the copper CMP clean. Semicond. Int. 21, 117.)

[0045] In some embodiments, an impulse and/or nano- and/or micro-size jet stream provides mixing, stirring and/or atomization of the medium in nano- and/or micro-metric dimensional volume in drag delivery system and/or in coating technology for production of the nano- and/or micro electronic devices (MEMS).

[0046] In other embodiments, an impulse and/or nano- and/or micro-size jet stream provides moving of the nano gear and/or another nano- and/or micro-devices. An impulse and/or nano- and/or micro-size jet stream removes heat from the working area of nano- and/or micro-metric dimensional devices of various types. A near field optic microscope, electron microscope and/or another nano-, micro-scopic device implement the control for jet stream operation.

[0047] In other embodiments, the alternative way to implement each primary element in this invention is the following: the source of cw and/or impulse multi wavelength radiation connected with fiber optic through the optical filters on one end of the fiber optic transfers the radiation energy. An optical filter is used for the selection of the specific wavelength of the cw and/or impulse beamed radiation.

[0048] In various embodiments, a nanoprobe tip transparent for the beamed radiation has at least one layer with good absorption properties, opaque for the beamed radiation with wavelength A, and transparent and /or semi-transparent for the beamed radiation with wavelength B.

[0049] In certain embodiments, a nanoprobe tip transparent for the beamed radiation has at least one thin film layer with good thermal conductivity properties that covers the surface of the first thin film layer with good absorption properties for the beamed radiation. In this matter, both layers are covering the nanoprobe tip transparent for the beamed radiation and are positioned one after the other.

[0050] First, it means that the first layer with good absorption properties covers the surface of the nanoprobe tip, and the second layer with good thermal conductivity covers the surface of the first layer.

[0051] Second, it means that at least two thin film layers with good absorption properties for the beamed radiation and with good thermal conductivity properties provide conversion of the radiation energy into the thermal energy and transferring of the thermal energy to the medium for overheating this medium.

[0052] In some embodiments, the beamed radiation with wavelength B can be an X-ray radiation and /or microwave radiation for the treatment of the toxic bio agents in the medium.

[0053] In other embodiments, a heat pipe is in a close proximity to a transmitter and provides additional heating and /or cooling medium. The overheating and /or cooling medium between a transmitter and a heat pipe provides the regulation of the mode of operation of the medium flow in nano- and /or micro-metric dimensional channels. The overheated medium can be in the form of gas and/or vapor conditions.

[0054] In certain embodiments, at least one and /or array of the heat pipes is/are connected with a transmitter for transferring of the heat to the different devices that are used in extreme conditions, including space studies and research.

[0055] In some embodiments, an ultrasonic tip in a close proximity to the transmitter regulates the mode of operation of the medium flow in nano- and /or micro-metric dimensional channels.

[0056] In certain embodiments, the source of the beamed radiation is a miniature pulsed xenon system that produces high peak optical energy from the deep ultraviolet (160 nm) to infrared (above 4 microns). Those systems are available at Perkin-Elmer.

[0057] In various embodiments, the source of the beamed radiation emits the infrared, visible, ultraviolet and x-ray portion of the spectrum and uses the filter unit that permits the passage of the relatively narrow band of the electromagnetic radiation. The medium can be in various forms, including liquid, gas, solid and/or mixed substances.

[0058] In other embodiments, various devices can be used as a waveguide (for example, fiber optic, duct, optical filters, etc.) in nano- and/or micro-and/or metric dimension or medium (as gas, liquid, solid, vacuum) and are designed to confine and direct the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the infrared, visible, ultraviolet and x-ray portion of the spectrum and/or electron and/or ion beamed radiation.

[0059] In certain embodiments, the transmitter can be any device that contains a mechanism for converting the energy from a source of the beamed radiation into the equivalent thermal energy.

[0060] While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0061] FIG. 1 depicts a schematic representation of the embodiment of this invention. 101, the source of the beamed electromagnetic radiation is preferably the source of the impulse beamed radiation. But for some embodiments of this invention, the source could be the continuous wave radiation (cw). For example, the continuous wave radiation can be useful for heating, boiling, melting of the medium in a close proximity to the transmitter. The waveguide 102 is used for collection of the beamed radiation from source 101 and transmitting this radiation to transmitter 103.

[0062] The heat-resistant transmitter 103 converts the radiation energy from the source of the beamed radiation 101 into the thermal energy and transmits this thermal energy to the medium 104 in a close proximity to the transmitter 103 and heats up and overheats this medium 104. The overheated medium 104 is expanded. The expansion of the overheated medium 104 generates directed pumping force and motion of the medium in a close proximity to the transmitter 103 and delivers this motion to another parts of the medium 105 for pumping of this medium. The overheating means the increase of the temperature and/or process of vaporizing and/or melting of the medium in a close proximity to the transmitter.

EXAMPLE 1

Transmitter with Different Form of the Tip Surface

[0063] FIGS. 2a to 2h depict a portion 103 of an embodiment 200 of this invention in which the transmitter is made as nano- and/or micro-optical fiber probe with different forms of the tip surface. Further details about fabrication of the tip that permits the reproducible production of highly transmissive probes with aperture sizes below 100 nm can be found elsewhere [T. Yatsuia, M. Kourogi, M. Ohtsu, Appl. Phis. Lett. 73 (1998) 2090].

[0064] FIGS. 2a to 2f depict different forms 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 and 207 of nano- and/or micro optical fiber probe of the transmitter as alternative embodiments of this invention. The forms can be oval, triangular and others.

[0065] FIG. 2d depicts an embodiment of this invention with the rough surface of the optical fiber nano-and/or micro-probe tip 204. The rough surface causes the increase of the contact area between nano- and/or micro-probe tip and the medium. Therefore the overheating time of this medium decreases substantially.

[0066] FIG. 2f depicts an embodiment of this invention in which the transmitter is made from the bundle 206 of the optical fiber probes. Changing the length of the optical fiber probe in this bundle causes the surface form of this transmitter to change. Each optical fiber in this bundle can transmit the specific portion of the electromagnetic energy. In this case the transmitter can control and change the direction (alfa-var) of the pumping force vector (F pump).

[0067] FIGS. 2g and FIG. 2h depict the alternative embodiments of this invention cross section of the optical fiber nano-and/or micro probe transmitter. The cross section can be oval, triangular, square and other. It depends on the usage of the cross section in the nano- and/or micro-metric dimensional channel.

EXAMPLE 2

Transmitters with Different Variant Heat-Resistant Layers

[0068] FIGS. 3a to 3c depict a portion 103 of an embodiment 300 of this invention in which the transmitter is made as nano-and/or micro-fiber probe with different type of the thin film layer attached to the surface of a nano-and/or micro-probe tip. This layer has to be heat-resistant with good absorption and thermal conductive properties and properly attached to the surface of the nano- and/or micro-probe tip.

[0069] FIG. 3a depicts an embodiment of this invention in which one thin film layer 301 is made from mullite (3Al2O3+2SiO2), that meets the above mentioned requirements. Further detail can be found elsewhere [S. Varadarajan, A. K. Pattanaik, K. Sarin “Mullite interfacial coatings for SiC fiber “Surface and Coating Technology 139 (2001) 153-160].

[0070] The heat-resistant layer 301 absorbs the electromagnetic energy causing the heating of this layer without any vaporization on the contrary to the method of laser transfer deposition described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,006, where the polymeric layer absorbs laser energy and as a result of this absorption causes both heating and vaporization of this polymeric layer.

[0071] Therefore in alternative embodiment of this invention the thermal energy that is formed in this type of transmitter never oversteps the vaporization limit of the heat-resistant layer 301. The quantity of the thermal energy absorbed from the source of the beamed radiation can be regulated by different ways.

[0072] By way of example, the absorption of the energy from the source of the beamed radiation by layer 301 can be changed by using the different materials of such layer and/or increasing the surface area by changing the roughness of the surface of the nano- and/or micro-probe tip 204 (FIG. 2d).

[0073] By way of example, the coefficient of absorption of absorbing materials is generally increasing when the electromagnetic radiation has shorter wavelength. The different types of the commercially available lasers can generate the electromagnetic radiation with different wavelength. The eximer laser generates the electromagnetic radiation with 193 nm, 248 nm, 308 nm and 351 nm wavelengths. The NdYAG laser generates the electromagnetic radiation with 1,064 nm wavelengths. The carbon dioxide laser generates the electromagnetic radiation with 10,600 nm wavelengths. By way of example, the frequency and/or pulse period of the beamed radiation can change the quantity of the radiation energy that is absorbed by the transmitter.

[0074] FIG. 3b depicts an alternative embodiment of this invention, at least two thin film layers. First layer 302 has good absorption properties for the beamed radiation, the second one 303 has good thermal conductivity and oxidation resistance properties for working in chemical active areas. Both layers are heat-resistant. The thermal expansion properties of both layers are matched with the material of the nano-and/or micro-probe tip.

[0075] FIG. 3c depicts an alternative embodiment of this invention in which a thin film layer 304 is made from monolayer C60. The further details can be found elsewhere [E. A. Katz, Faiman, S. Shtutina, A. Isakina “Deposition and structural characterization of high quality textured C60 thin films”, Thin Solid Films 368 (2000) 49-54].

[0076] FIG. 3d depicts an alternative embodiment of this invention using the electron beamed radiation. The electron beamed radiation 310 passes through the hollow vacuum sealed tube 309 and is absorbed by aluminum foil 308. After absorption of the electron beamed radiation the temperature of the aluminum foil increases and the medium in a close proximity to aluminum foil 305 will get overheated. If the energy of the electron beamed radiation overreaches the threshold level of the X-ray radiation 307 this X-ray radiation can be used for sterilization purpose. The X-ray radiation 307 is the result of the interaction between the electron beamed radiation and the aluminum foil 308.

EXAMPLE 3

Nanopump for Pumping of Liquid in Nano- and/or Micro-Metric Dimensional Channel

[0077] FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment 400 of this invention, a nanopump for pumping of liquid flow 406 through nano- and/or micro-channel 408. Electromagnetic radiation 402 is transmitted from a source of radiation (not shown) via fiber 401 to transmitter 410. The transmitter 410 is composed of two layers. The first thin film layer 403 has good absorption properties for the specific kind of the electromagnetic radiation (broad band or narrow band or just one wavelength). The second thin film layer 404 has good thermal conductive properties. Both layers are heat-resistant.

[0078] The electromagnetic energy is converted to the thermal energy in the transmitter 410. This thermal energy is heating up and/or overheating and/or vaporizing the liquid or another medium 409 in a close proximity to the transmitter. This vaporized liquid 409 is expanded to generate the pumping effect in liquid 406 that is placed in a close proximity to liquid 409. The inner wall 405 of the nano- and/or micro-channel serves as diffuser to increase the pumping effect. The thermoelectric cooling device 407 based on the Peltier effect is placed for cooling of the pumping liquid in nano- and/or micro channel 408.

EXAMPLE 4

Nanopump for Pumping of Liquid in Microfluidic and/or Nanometric Dimensional Arrays

[0079] FIG. 5 depicts another embodiment of this invention, a system 500 for pumping of the liquid flow 505 through nano- and/or micro- dimensional channel in microfluidic array 506. The electromagnetic radiation 502 is transmitted from a source of the beamed radiation (not shown) via fiber 501 to the transmitter 503. The transmitter 503 is made from the thin film layer C60 with good absorption properties for the beamed radiation. This layer has good thermal conductive properties too.

[0080] The electromagnetic energy is converted to the thermal energy into the transmitter 503. This thermal energy is overheating and vaporizing the liquid in a close proximity to the transmitter. This overheated liquid 504 is expanded to generate the pumping effect in liquid 505. The inner wall 508 of nano- and/or micro-channel serves as diffusers 509 to increase the pumping effect. The heat exchanger 507 is placed in the channels 506 of the nano- and/or microfluidic array for cooling of the pumping liquid.

EXAMPLE 5

Nanopump for Atomization of Liquid

[0081] FIGS. 6a and 6b illustrate another embodiment 600 of this invention, a nanopump for atomization of the liquid drop 604. Electromagnetic radiation 602 is transmitted from a source of radiation (not shown) via fiber 601 to the transmitter 603. The transmitter is composed of two layers with rough surface. The first thin film layer is with good absorption properties for the electromagnetic radiation that passes through the fiber optic 601. The second thin film layer is with good thermal conductive properties. Both layers are heat-resistant.

[0082] The electromagnetic energy is converted to the thermal energy in this transmitter 603. The thermal energy is overheating and vaporizing the liquid 605 in a close proximity to the transmitter. This liquid 605 is expanded to generate the atomization effect of liquid drops 606.

EXAMPLE 6

Nanopump for Moving Nano Devices

[0083] FIG. 7 depicts another embodiment 700 of this invention, a nanopump for moving of nano gears 705 and 706. The electromagnetic radiation 702 is transmitted from a source of radiation (not shown) via fiber 701 to the transmitter. The electromagnetic energy is converted to the thermal energy into this transmitter 703. The thermal energy is overheating and vaporizing the liquid 704 in a close proximity to the transmitter. This overheated liquid 704 is expanded to generate the pumping effect in liquid 707. This liquid stream 707 is used for moving of nano gears 705 and 706.

EXAMPLE 7

Nanopump for Pumping of Liquid with Nanoparticles and/or Nanoparticle Structures

[0084] FIG. 8a illustrates another embodiment 800 of this invention, a nanopump for pumping of liquid with nanoparticles 804 and/or nanoparticle structures 806. The electromagnetic radiation 802 is transmitted from a source of radiation (not shown) via fiber 801 to the transmitter 803. The transmitter is composed of two layers with rough surface. The first thin film layer with good absorption properties for the electromagnetic radiation that passes through fiber optic 801. The second thin film layer with good thermal conductive properties is embedded into rough surface by melting.

[0085] The electromagnetic energy is converted to the thermal energy in the transmitter 803. The thermal energy is overheating and vaporizing the liquid 805 in a close proximity to the transmitter. This overheated liquid 805 is expanded to pump liquid 807 in micro- and/or nano-metric dimensional channel 808 with nanoparticles 804 and/or nanoparticle structures 806. The combination of this nanopump with a near field optic microscope can be used for selection, separation and positioning of the nanoparticles and nanoparticle structures with and/or without bio agents.

EXAMPLE 8

Continuous Wave Regime for Heating and/or Melting Medium

[0086] FIGS. 9a to 9c depict another embodiment 900 of this invention, a nanopump for heating and/or melting of the medium. The electromagnetic radiation 902 (FIG. 9a) is transmitted from a source of radiation (not shown) via fiber 901 to transmitter 903. The electromagnetic energy in the continuous wave regime is converted to the thermal energy in the transmitter 903. The thermal energy is heating the liquid 908.

[0087] The electromagnetic radiation 902 (FIG. 9b) is transmitted from a source of radiation (not shown) via fiber 901 to the transmitter 903. The electromagnetic energy in the continuous wave regime is converted to the thermal energy in the transmitter 903. The thermal energy is causing the heating and melting 907 of the solid medium 905 and 906 in a close proximity to the transmitter 903. When the medium is atomized this method can be used in the coating technology.

[0088] The electromagnetic radiation 902 (FIG. 9c) is transmitted from a source of radiation (not shown) via fiber 901 to the transmitter 903. The electromagnetic energy in the continuous wave regime is converted to the thermal energy in the transmitter 903. The thermal energy is heating the heat pipe array 909 that is connected with the transmitter 903.

[0089] The thermal energy can be transmitted to any devices that need extra energy for normal operation. By way of example, this method can be easily used for heating up, overheating and/or melting of the medium in nano- and/or micro-metric dimensional devices in airspace industry with antiterrorism purpose and/or in space studies of the thermal physical properties of nano- and/or micro-metric dimension crystals in Microgravity.

[0090] While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.