PDMS Microchannel Fabrication Procedure

Name: Teoh Su -Fern, Elyse Kymberly Date: 13 June 2012

1. Vinyl Adhesive Preparation (Xurography)

The first step in fabricating a PDMS Microchannel is to design the network, which can be done using softwares like CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator. The vinyl adhesive will be cut according to the designed network. The software will enable manual determination on the microchannel dimensions. It is important to take into consideration the range of the cutting machine. Normally, any of the dimensions on the microchannel would have a minimum slightly above the range to ensure better results during the cutting process (for UNMC, the range of the cutting machine is 150 m). However, the vinyl adhesive may not be cut exactly to the dimensions set due to the limitation of the cutting machine. Therefore, the dimensions are usually set 10% above the desired value during the design process. During the designing of microchannel, it is important to remember that the order in which the paths are being cut will affect the accuracy of the microchannel. Since all parameters are in the micro scale, slight defects will affect the results significantly. The area of the microchannel which is most crucial and easily affected is the Tjunction. More than often, the channels of the T-junction will not be exactly perpendicular to each other. Overcut and/or asymmetric T-junctions are usually obtained due to the swiveling and turning of the blade at the T-junction. The cutting machine is programmed to cut the design based on the order at which the design shapes were drawn in the design software. The cutting machine will cut in the reverse order, i.e. it will cut the line/shape last if it was drawn first in the program. To reduce the overcut and/or asymmetric defect at the Tjunction, the orthogonal channel must be cut first, followed by the horizontal channel. Horizontal Channel

Orthogonal Channel

Figure 1: Microchannel Device with T-Junction Geometry

The procedure for prepartion of the vinyl adhesive is discussed below: (1) The microchannel network is designed, while taking into account the desired order for the vinyl adhesive to be cut (orthogonal channel to be cut first before horizontal channel to prevent T-junction defects). The shapes/lines are inserted into the program in a reverse order manner. (2) The vinyl adhesive sheet is inserted into the cutting machine and locked into position. The two rollers of the machine are positioned over the vinyl adhesive. (note: rollers must be in range, i.e. under the region of the blue box) (3) The setting on the cutting machine is then selected. (4) The design is uploaded to the cutting machine (by plugging in the USB cable from the machine to the laptop/computer with the design). (5) The point of origin is positioned to the corner of the image design. (6) The step size is set to 0.01mm/step. (7) The cutting process is initiated. (8) Steps 5-7 are repeated in order to obtain several vinyl adhesive pieces. (9) The vinyl adhesives are removed carefully and stuck on a piece of wax paper. The reason for producing several vinyl adhesive pieces is to choose the best piece that fits the dimensions set during the design process most closely. Determination on vinyl adhesive piece to use is as follows: (i) Proximity of cut dimensions to design dimensions (allowance of 1-2 m is deemed optimum) (ii) No significant T-junction defects

2. Epoxy Microchannel Master Fabrication (Xurography)

An epoxy microchannel mould can be created by using the vinyl adhesive in the previous step. There are two types of microchannel and two types of epoxy masters, which can be seen as below.

produces Vinyl adhesive

Positive xurographic microchannel

PDMS layer

Negative xurographic epoxy master

produces Vinyl adhesive

Negative xerographic microchannel

indents

Positive xerographic epoxy master

A cake mould is needed in order to produce the epoxy master. It must have a flat base and the inner lining of the mould must be made of a material that will not absorb or stick to the epoxy (e.g. paper will absorb resin and become wet and may break. Paper will also stick to the hardened epoxy and it will be hard to remove the epoxy from the mould perfectly). A paper mould with inner wax lining may be used, as seen below.

To fabricate a negative epoxy master, the vinyl adhesive must be stuck onto a flat piece of PDMS first to create a positive xurographic microchannel. The procedure to create a flat piece of PDMS is as below: (1) Regular brown tape is stuck over the hollow centre of an acrylic frame. A semi-hard plastic piece (which is same size as the hollow area of the acrylic frame) is placed in the frame, above the tape. (2) 30g of PDMS base is poured into a paper cup, followed by 3g of curing agent. (Ratio of base:agent = 10:1) (3) The mixture is mixed thoroughly with a spatula. (Formation of air bubbles indicate well mixing) (4) The mixture is poured into the acrylic frame, above the plastic piece and is spread until it was evenly distributed over the plastic piece. (5) The acrylic frame is then placed into a desiccator for one hour to remove all the air bubbles which were initially formed during the chemical mixing process. (6) After one hour, the acrylic frame is removed from the desiccator. Any remaining air bubbles may be removed by using compressed air. (7) The acrylic frame is then placed on a hot plate (with temperature setting of 70oC) for approximately an hour, or until PDMS has fully cured. The vinyl adhesive can be stuck onto the PDMS by using double sided tape. The purpose of the PDMS is to give the epoxy mould a certain depth so that the PDMS base can be poured into the mould.
**note: this step is only for fabrication of positive xurographic microchannel/negative xurographic epoxy master**

The procedure for fabrication of the epoxy master is as below: (1) The vinyl adhesive(s) (and the transparency plastic and slab of PDMS if applicable) are stuck onto the base of the cake mould using double sided tape in order to prevent the PDMS from floating in the epoxy resin. (2) 20g of epoxy resin is poured into a paper cup, followed by 10g of hardener. (Ratio resin:hardener=2:1) (3) The mixture is mixed thoroughly with a wooden stick. (even colour distribution indicates well mixing) (4) The mixture is then slowly poured into the cake mould containing the vinyl adhesive(s). (5) The cake mould is put into a suction arm for 30 minutes to remove any air bubbles which are above the channels (as it will affect the fabrication of PDMS microchannel devices later on). (6) The epoxy resin is left to cure for 1-2 days, or until it has hardened. (7) The hardened epoxy is removed from the cake mould and the flat PDMS slab is removed from the epoxy. (8) The vinyl adhesive and the transparency plastic are carefully removed from the surface of the epoxy using a blade and a tweezer. (note: be careful not to cut/scratch any part of the epoxy which contains the microchannels) (9) Tap water is then used to wash the epoxy master and any remaining wax paper stuck on the epoxy is scratched out gently during the washing process. Vinyl adhesive and wax paper stuck on transparency plastic PDMS layer Double-sided tape

Base of cake mould

Figure 2: Illustration of Negative Epoxy Fabrication Set Up

The epoxy master can cure faster and more effectively if it was left to be heated. However, heating tends to cause swelling of the vinyl adhesive and dimensions of the microchannel will change. Thus, it is better to allow the epoxy to cure naturally at room temperature.

3. Salinisation of Epoxy Mould

The purpose of salinising the epoxy mould is to ensure that the cured PDMS will not stick to the epoxy during fabrication of the PDMS microchannel device. Fabrication of the PDMS microchannel device using the epoxy mould will cause the salinised layer to thin. Therefore, this process must be repeated after a number of times of PDMS device fabrication (approximately every five times). The procedure for salinisation is as below: (1) The epoxy mould is placed in a small container. (2) One drop of trichloromethysilane is placed on a petri dish. The petri dish is then placed into the same container as the epoxy mould. (note: handle trichloromethylsilane in fume hood as it is toxic) (3) The container is then closed for 1 to 2 hours to create a salinised environment around the epoxy. (4) The epoxy mould is then taken out from the container.

Epoxy mould
Figure 3: Salinsation of Epoxy Mould

Petri dish containing salinising agent

4. PDMS Microchannel Fabrication (Soft Lithography)

The microchannel network is made from poly(dimethylsiloxane). The fluids can be injected into the PDMS device and various properties can be studied.

(image from http://blogs.rsc.org/chipsandtips/2012/05/31/a-stacked-microfluidic-device-for-improving-experiment-throughput/)

Figure 4: PDMS Microchannel Device

The procedure for fabrication is as below: (1) 5g of PDMS base is poured into a wafer, followed by 0.5g of curing agent. (Ratio of base:agent = 10:1) (2) The mixture is mixed thoroughly with a wooden stick. (Formation of air bubbles indicate well mixing) (3) The mixture is poured into the epoxy mould and is spread until it was evenly distributed in the mould. (4) The epoxy mould is then placed into a desiccator for one hour to remove all the air bubbles which were initially formed during the chemical mixing process. (5) After one hour, the epoxy mould is removed from the desiccator. Any remaining air bubbles may be removed by using compressed air. (6) The epoxy mould is then placed on a hot plate (with temperature setting of 70oC) for approximately an hour, or until PDMS has fully cured. PDMS Epoxy mould

Figure 5: PDMS mixture in epoxy mould

5. Sealing of PDMS Microchannel Device

The PDMS Microchannel Device can be sealed using a glass substrate and a small amount of PDMS. Procedure for sealing is as below: (1) A piece of glass which is slightly larger than the microchannel device is cut. The piece of glass is to be used as a glass substrate (2) 3g of PDMS base is poured onto a wafer, followed by 0.3g of curing agent. (base:agent = 10:1) (3) The mixture is mixed thoroughly with a wooden stick. (Formation of air bubbles indicate well mixing) (4) The glass substrate is placed on the spin coater plate. The PDMS mixture is then poured to the centre of the glass substrate. (5) The spin coater machine is turned on and its settings are adjusted. Setting: Step 0: Ramp 10, Dwell 5, RPM 500 Step 1: Ramp 25, Dwell 5, RPM 3000 Step 2: n/a (6) After the glass substrate has been coated with a thin layer of PDMS by using the spin coater, the glass substrate is heated at 70oC. (7) After heating for 7 minutes, the PDMS microchannel device (which has punched holes at the fluid input areas) is placed onto the substrate. (8) A tweezer is used to press the PDMS microchannel device onto the glass substrate to ensure complete sealing and to push out any air bubbles trapped under the microchannel device. (9) The glass substrate continues to be heated for an hour, or until all the PDMS has cured. PDMS Microchannel Device Partially cured PDMS Glass substrate

Figure 6: 2-Dimensional View of the Sealing for PDMS Microchannel Devices onto a Glass Substrate