复合式微流控脱水芯片的研制

报道了一种复合式微流控脱水芯片。采用玻璃、聚二甲氧基硅氧烷(PDMS)和聚碳酸酯(PC)三种材质,采用不可逆封接方法分别制得玻璃—PDMS液路半芯片、PC—PDMS气路半芯片,中间夹一层聚四氟乙烯(PTFE)多孔滤膜,将两个半芯片可逆封接形成玻璃—PDMS…PDMS—PC结构的全芯片。该制备方法简单可靠,其液路半芯片和气路半芯片可以单独更换,使得使用成本降低。实验表明:该芯片脱水性能良好,可用于有机合成步骤中含水试剂的高效除水。     

A combination of 3D printing and PCB technologies in microfluidic sensing device fabrication

Microsystem Technologies - Microfluidic devices are increasingly being used as analytical systems, biomedical devices, chemistry and biochemistry instruments, and basic research systems....     

A controllable liquid mold for fabrication of 3D spherical structures and arrays

This study presents a fabrication method for spherical or ellipsoidal structures, achieved by using a liquid mold in a controlled manner. In order to verify this method, the physical relationship between liquid drops and pre-cured PDMS mixture was investigated during fabrication by altering properties such as density, viscosity, and surface tension. The results show that the lateral capillary force plays a critical role in fabricating hollow dome-like structures in a well-arranged array format. The degree of sphere of the fabricated structures was theoretically examined and was consistent with experimental data. This method is useful for fabricating hollow spherical structures with easy-to-fabricate protocols, and is affordable for general laboratories not equipped with conventional clean room facilities. Standard molding techniques for spherical structures are commonly cumbersome and difficult, since the removal process of the spherical rigid mold from the structure is almost impossible, or destructive to the fabrication. The current fabrication method uses a liquid fabrication mold, therefore providing a noninvasive means of forming spherical structures in pre-cured polymeric mixtures for micro- and meso-scale level applications. This method is also potentially beneficial for producing dynamic culture arrays with a sufficient supply of cell media to maintain controlled cellular environments that can directly induce stem cell differentiation and proliferation.     

基于分块地形的混合数据结构三维公路建模

为了权衡三维公路建模中数据高精度性以及渲染高效性的矛盾,在地形分块基础上提出了一种在场景中规则网格与不规则三角网并存的混合数据结构三维公路建模方法。此方法结合规则网格与不规则三角网两种地形表示方式的优缺点,若地形子块有公路覆盖,则利用Delaunay三角网方法精细绘制,否则基于规则网格LOD(细节层次)绘制,以此来提高渲染效率。针对此混合结构产生的块间裂缝问题,提出了对低细节层次节点增点的修补方案,以及针对此方法的特点提出了基于有向线段与增量步长的地形镂空算法,实现了地形与公路的无缝融合。实验结果表明,该方案可有效适用于三维公路设计。     

Application of 3D gray mask for the fabrication of curved SU-8 structures

This paper proposes a novel technology to fabricate 3D structures such as curved structures on SU-8 resist by 3D gray mask combined with glycerol compensation technique. 3D Gray mask is designed and fabricated by patterning and reflowing AZ4620 resist on standard quartz or glass mask plate. Through exposure dose control, curved shapes with different curvatures have been successfully fabricated with smooth structure surface. Simple calculations on the prediction of the shapes and sizes of the exposed 3-D structures have also been carried out, and the results show a close relationship between the calculations and the experiments. Compared to traditional gray mask technologies, this method provides a simple and cost effective way to fabricate curved structures with reasonable surface smoothness, which may be suitable for optical or micro fluidic applications.Based on the following paper presented at the HARMST 2003 Conference: K. Y. Hung and F. G. Tseng, Application of Shadow Mask and Polarized Inclined-Exposure for Curved SU-8 Structures on Inclined Surface, Proc. of 5th High Aspect Ratio Micro-Structure Technology Conference, June 15–17, 2003, Monterey, California USA.This work was supported by the National Science Council of Taiwan, ROC under the grant NSC 89–2323-B-007–005.     

Low-stress fabrication of 3D polymer free standing structures using lamination of photosensitive films

Free-standing microstructures such as cantilevers, membranes or microchannels are building blocks of microfluidic systems and MEMS. As a complement to silicon, the large family of polymers offers many opportunities for micro and nanotechnologies. Their low temperature processing and the planarizing properties of many resists is a definitive advantage for system integration, paving the way to complete lab-on-chips. In this article, we investigate a fabrication process of polymeric free standing structures based on the lamination of SU-8, a thick epoxy photoresist. Our motivation is the hybrid integration of polymer microfluidic or MEMS components with silicon chips (e.g., integrated circuits or sensors). Compared to rigid substrates used in more conventional SU-8/SU-8 bonding process, the flexible photosensitive films used within this lamination technique allows a more homogeneous and reliable bonding at low pressure and temperature, and a 3D fabrication with an excellent level-to-level alignment. A parametric optimization of the lamination process is presented. The fabrication of a leakage-free 3D microfluidic network is demonstrated by stacking up to five layers. A polyethylene terephtalate layer has been employed to easily release the SU-8 devices. We show that this release layer also significantly decrease the curvature of the substrate by 32% and the related residual stress in a 100 μm SU-8 layer by at least 10%. Finally, we briefly describe the hybrid integration of a silicon sensor in a microfluidic network as a direct application of our lamination process to the fabrication of lab-on-chips.

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Optimized design and fabrication of a microfluidic platform to study single cells and multicellular aggregates in 3D

A microfluidic platform for cell motility analysis in a three-dimensional environment is presented. The microfluidic device is designed to study migration of both single cells and cell spheroids, in particular under spatially and temporally controlled chemical stimuli. A layout based on a central microchannel confined by micropillars and two lateral reservoirs was selected as the most effective. The microfluidics have an internal height of 350 μm to accommodate cell spheroids of a considerable size. The chip is fabricated using well-established micromachining techniques, by obtaining the polydimethylsiloxane replica from a Si/SU-8 master. The chip is then bonded on a 170-μm-thick microscope glass slide to allow high spatial resolution live microscopy. In order to allow the cost-effective and highly repeatable production of chips with high aspect ratio (5:1) micropillars, specific design and fabrication processes were optimized. This design permits spatial confinement of the gel where cells are grown, the creation of a stable gel–liquid interface and the formation of a diffusive gradient of a chemoattractant (>48 h). The chip accomplishes both the tasks of a microfluidic bioreactor system and a cell analysis platform avoiding critical handling of the sample. The experimental fluidic tests confirm the easy handling of the chip and in particular the effectiveness of the micropillars to separate the Matrigel? from the culture media. Experimental tests of (i) the stability of the gradient, (ii) the biocompatibility and (iii) the suitability for microscopy are presented.     

Printing 3D microfluidic chips with a 3D sugar printer

This study demonstrated how to quickly and effectively print two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic chips with a low-cost 3D sugar printer. The sugar printer was modified from a desktop 3D printer by redesigning the extruder, so the melting sugar could be extruded with pneumatic driving. Sacrificial sugar lines were first printed on a base layer followed by casting polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) onto the layer and repeating. Microchannels were then printed in the PDMS solvent, microfluidic chips dropped into hot water to dissolve the sugar lines after the PDMS was solidified, and the microfluidic chips did not need further sealing. Different types of sugar utilized for printing material were studied with results indicating that maltitol exhibited a stable flow property compared with other sugars such as caramel or sucrose. Low cost is a significant advantage of this type of sugar printer as the machine may be purchased for only approximately $800. Additionally, as demonstrated in this study, the printed 3D microfluidic chip is a useful tool utilized for cell culture, thus proving the 3D printer is a powerful tool for medical/biological research.     

Low-cost hardware platform for developing realtime 3D graphics

BRAD3D, a low-cost hardware platform for the development of a realtime 3D graphics software is presented. The BRAD3D configuration is derived from a generalization of 3D image synthesis. Three basic processes have been identified: the geometric process, dealing with the measurements of the scene; the topologic process, extracting visible information from the polygonal structure; and the scan-conversion process, producing pixel values on a frame buffer. BRAD3D is implemented as a three-stage pipeline and accommodates depth-list and scan-line hidden-surface-removal algorithms. Each stage of the pipeline can be implemented using different hardware solutions. A microprocessor-based solution is presented as a general prototyping approach.     

Low-cost polymer microfluidic device for on-chip extraction of bacterial DNA

A polymer microfluidic device for on-chip extraction of bacterial DNA has been developed for molecular diagnostics. In order to manufacture a low-cost, disposable microchip, micropillar arrays of high surface-to-volume ratio (0.152 μm⁻¹) were constructed on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) by hot embossing with an electroformed Ni mold, and their surface was modified with SiO₂ and an organosilane compound in subsequent steps. To seal open microchannels, the organosilane layer on top plane of the micropillars was selectively removed through photocatalytic oxidation via TiO₂/UV treatment at room temperature. As a result, the underlying SiO₂ surface was exposed without deteriorating the organosilane layer coated on lateral surface of the micropillars that could serve as bacterial cell adhesion moiety. Afterwards, a plasma-treated PDMS substrate was bonded to the exposed SiO₂ surface, completing the device fabrication. To optimize manufacturing throughput and process integration, the whole fabrication process was performed at 6 inch wafer-level including polymer imprinting, organosilane coating, and bonding. Preparation of bacterial DNA was carried out with the fabricated PDMS/PMMA chip according to the following procedure: bacterial cell capture, washing, in situ lysis, and DNA elution. The polymer-based microchip presented here demonstrated similar performance to Glass/Si chip in terms of bacterial cell capture efficiency and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) compatibility.     

A rapid polymerisation process realizing 3D biocompatible structures in a microfluidic channel suitable for genetic analysis

Surface probe immobilisation is a complex and time consuming task undertaken prior to microfluidic integration, this requires surface functionalisation, biomolecule spotting, incubation and blocking steps. Traditional bonding techniques (anodic, thermal, etc.) or adhesives (UV cured) used to seal fluidic systems may denature biomolecules due to high temperature or vapour effects, thus bonding techniques such as thin film laminate or PDMS are used to seal systems, with substrate-fluidic alignment required prior to bonding. We propose a technique allowing probe DNA molecules to be immobilised in a sealed microfluidic system using (3D) hydrogel structures without any alignment steps. A prepolymer solution is introduced to the channels where photo-polymerisation is undertaken forming 3D structures covalently attached to the channel surface. We use a photo-initiated prepolymer material poly-ethylene-glycol (PEG) to form structures containing probe DNA. This process is fast compared to conventional biomolecule immobilisation techniques and is also biocompatible, this direct write approach removes overnight immobilisation/incubation of the probe DNA, it also facilitates immobilisation within a sealed fluidic system where conventionally DNA probe spots must be immobilised prior to channel sealing. We consider the transport of target DNA from bulk analyte to the 3D gel structure and evaluate hybridisation within the microfluidic system.     

Design and fabrication of a novel microfluidic nanoprobe

The design and fabrication of a novel microfluidic nanoprobe system are presented. The nanoprobe consists of cantilevered ultrasharp volcano-like tips, with microfluidic capabilities consisting of microchannels connected to an on-chip reservoir. The chip possesses additional connection capabilities to a remote reservoir. The fabrication uses standard surface micromachining techniques and materials. Bulk micromachining is employed for chip release. The microchannels are fabricated in silicon nitride by a new methodology, based on edge underetching of a sacrificial layer, bird's beak oxidation for mechanically closing the edges, and deposition of a sealing layer. The design and integration of various elements of the system and their fabrication are discussed. The system is conceived mainly to work as a "nanofountain pen", i.e., a continuously writing upgrade of the dip-pen nanolithography approach. Moreover, the new chip shows a much larger applicability area in fields such as electrochemical nanoprobes, nanoprobe-based etching, build-up tools for nanofabrication, or a probe for materials interactive analysis. Preliminary tests for writing and imaging with the new device were performed. These tests illustrate the capabilities of the new device and demonstrate possible directions for improvement.     

Low-cost rapid prototyping of glass microfluidic devices using a micromilling technique

A method is proposed for rapid prototyping of glass microfluidic devices utilizing a commercial micromilling machine. In the proposed approach, micromilling is performed with the glass substrates immersed in cool water, which could efficiently remove debris and increase the life of milling tools. We also investigate the effects of spindle speed, feed rate, cutting depth, cooling mode, and tool type on finished channel geometries, bottom surface roughness, and burring along the channel sides. It was found that low cutting depths, high spindle speeds and low feed rate produce smoother channels. Several functional microfluidic devices were demonstrated with this rapid prototyping method. The results confirm that the proposed micromilling technique represents a viable solution for the rapid and economic fabrication of glass-based microfluidic chips. We believe that this method will greatly improve the accessibility of glass microfluidic devices to researchers.     

微流体芯片在纤维成型方面的应用研究进展

微流体芯片可在微通道中控制、操作和检测复杂流体,具有尺寸小、效率高、集成度高、响应时间短、样品需量少等优点.除了在生物化学、有机合成、疾病检测等领域有广泛的应用之外,微流体芯片在纤维成型方面也有很大的应用潜力.在简介了微流体技术的基础上,比较了传统纺丝技术和微流体纺丝技术,综述了微流体芯片在即时纺丝、静电纺丝和蛋白质成...     

Automated 3D compliance checking in pipe spool fabrication

In pipe spool assemblies used in construction, pre-fabrication errors inevitably occur due to the complexity of the tasks involved in the pipe spool fabrication process, the inaccuracy of the tools employed for performing these tasks, human error, and inadequate inspection and monitoring during the process. Permanent deflections may also occur during shipment and transportation. After delivery at construction sites, defective spools must be detected and further consideration given to the erection of the spools to tolerance levels specified; otherwise, the repair and realignment associated with rework can cause schedule delays and consequent substantial costs increases. This paper presents an automated approach for monitoring and assessing fabricated pipe spools using automated scan-to-BIM registration. Defects are detected through a neighborhood-based Iterative Closest Point (ICP) approach for the registration process. While this technique can be broadly employed, this paper focuses on industrial construction facilities with particular emphasis on pipe spool assemblies. Experiments show that the proposed approach can be employed for the automatic and continual monitoring of such assemblies throughout fabrication, assembly and erection to enable timely detection and characterization of deviations. The main contribution of the work presented in this paper is an automated 3D inspection framework and algorithms for construction assemblies in general and pipe spools in particular.     

DRIE based technology for 3D silicon barcodes fabrication

Microworld barcoding has become a promising tool for cell biology. Individual and subpopulation cell tracking is of great interest to evaluate cell behaviour. Nowadays, many micrometer and even nanometer size silicon structures can be fabricated using microelectronics techniques. In this work we report for first time the development of 3D barcodes based on silicon substrate. The proposed silicon micromachining technology based on deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) allows to obtain micrometer-sized cylindrical structures with vertical etch profile that defines a bit = 1 and non-vertical etch profile that defines a bit = 0. Although this technology will allow more than 15 bits representation, only 4-8 bits are necessary for cell labelling. The results of this work show that DRIE has become a versatile technique to produce high aspect 3D biocompatible silicon-based barcodes structures for cell studies.     

微流控芯片的材料与加工方法研究进展

综述了微流控芯片的制作材料及其加工方法的研究进展.在介绍了传统硅质材料,如硅、玻璃、石英等的基础上,着重描述了高分子聚合物材料在微流控芯片的应用趋势.针对不同材料,详叙了其材料特性、应用范围及加工方法.特别介绍了一些新的加工方法,如激光刻蚀法、软光刻、LIGA方法在该领域的应用.针对微流控芯片的材料与加工做了一个简要而...     

Fast fabrication of microfluidic devices using a low-cost prototyping method

Conventional ways to produce microfluidic devices cost a lot due to the requirements for cleanroom environments and expensive equipment, which prevents the wider applications of microfluidics in academia and in industry. In this paper, a dry film photoresist was utilized in a simple way to reduce the fabrication cost of microfluidic masters. Thus, a fast prototyping and fabrication of microstructures in polydimethylsiloxane microchips through a replica molding technology was achieved in a low-cost setting within 2.5 h. Subsequently, major manufacturing conditions were optimized to acquire well-resolved microfluidic molds, and the replicated microchips were validated to be of good performance. A T-junction channel microchip was fabricated by using a dry film master to generate water droplets of uniform target size. Meanwhile, a gated injection of fluorescein sodium and a contactless conductivity detection of Na⁺ were both performed in a crosslink channel microchip via capillary electrophoresis, in other words, this fast prototyping and fabrication method would be an efficient, economical way to embody structural design into microfluidic chips for various applications.