Importance

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Abstract

A capillary connector having one or more capillary tubes entering a first end and terminating with an open end at a level face on the opposite side of the connector. The face is held by a coupler and brought into a biased abutment such that the open capillary ends are in fluid communication with the ends of microchannels on an abutting surface. These microchannel ends may be capillary tube ends from a second capillary connector or may be openings of microchannels on a substrate. The connector may be a fiber-optic connector modified to hold capillary tubes. Alternatively, the connector may be a substrate having microchannels extending through the substrate and terminating at a level face on the substrate. The coupler may receive the capillary tube, which passes through the coupler. This coupler may be attached to a substrate surface to allow the capillary connector to be joined to the substrate. Alternatively, the coupler includes a tray that holds the connector and a receiving substrate such that the ends of microchannels are brought into alignment. In any of these embodiments, the ends of the capillary may be designed to extend slightly from the level connector face, such that upon connection the biasing force is concentrated at the capillary tube end.

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First Claim