Thermal assisted direct bonding between structured glasses for lab-on-chip technology

A thermal assisted direct bonding (TADB) technique between structured glasses is proposed for micro-fluidic device fabrication. The bonded glass pairs were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), apparent shear strength tests and Vickers hardness measurements across the bonded interface. The optimisation of TADB parameters on flat glasses and on structured glasses was analysed. This technique is user-friendly and low cost, and can be considered for mass production of glass-based micro-fluidic devices.