Labs-on-Chips (LoCs) allow for the miniaturization, integration, and automation of medical and biochemical procedures. To this end, LoCs combine different laboratory functions on a single chip, which yields a faster analysis as well as larger throughput while, at the same time, requires a significantly lower reagent consumption. LoCs are successfully used e.g. for in-vitro diagnostics, DNA sequencing, cell analysis, protein crystallization, or drug discovery. However, corresponding chips need to be efficiently and correctly designed. This includes controlling the movements and operations of the fluidics on the chip as well as the consideration of medical, biological, or chemical requirements. Already today, LoCs exist which are composed of hundreds of thousands of components that need to be orchestrated in a smart fashion. Hence, highly-efficient and automatic design methods for this purpose are required. This talk gives an introduction to different LoC technologies as well as corresponding design tasks. Afterwards, main ideas for design automation for LoCs are sketched -- including respectively used descriptions and models as well as key ideas for corresponding design solutions including synthesis, simulation & validation, as well as layout.
Forschungs-