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Abstract: A
new method for rapid fabricating masters of PDMS(polydimethylsiloxane)-based
microfluidic devices is presented and the corresponding process is studied.
Liquid phase photoresist is adopted as the material of masters, which can be
cured to form microstructures by UV exposure under liquid phase. Baking liquid
phase photoresist is eliminated during fabricating process. Compared with the
current methods that mostly use SU-8 photoresist as the masters material, the
method presented can not only simplify the fabricating process but also shorten
the fabricating time sharply and avoid distortion caused by the baked internal
stress, which doesn’t need expensive equipment and can reduce the material cost.
The experimental results show that the masters microstructures have the
characteristics of nearly vertical sidewalls and smooth surfaces, whose maximum
aspect ratio can reach 5.7. The PDMS microstructures replicated demonstrate a
desirable precision in shape and dimension.
Key words: Microfluidic devices
Masters
Liquid phase photoresist
Exposure
Development
CLC No: TN271
国家高技术研究发展计划(863计划, 03AA404040)和国家自然科学基金(50305026)资助项目. Received 20060817, received in revised form 20070228
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