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Micro- and Nano-Fabrication of Polymer Based Microfluidic Platforms for BioMEMS Applications Siyi Lai, L. James Lee, Liyong Yu, Kurt W. Koelling, and Marc J. Madou1 Department of Chemical Engineering, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH 43210, USA 1 Nanogen Inc., San Diego, CA 92121, USA

ABSTRACT In this paper, we review the approaches developed in our laboratory for polymer-based micro/nanofabrication. For fabrication of microscale features, UV-LIGA (UV-lithography, electroplating, and molding) technology was applied for low-cost mass production. For fabrication of sub-micron or nanoscale features, a novel nano-manufacturing protocol is being developed. The protocol applies a novel nano-lithography imprinting process on an ultraprecision motion-control station. It is capable of economically producing well-defined pores or channels at the nanometer scale on thin polymer layers. The formed thin layers can be used as nano-filters for chemical or bio-separation. They can also be integrated into miniaturized devices for cell immunoprotection or tissue growth. For bonding of polymer-based microfluidic platforms, a novel resin-gas injection-assisted technique has been developed that achieves both bonding and surface modification. This new approach can easily seal microfluidic devices with micron and sub-micron sized channels without blocking the flow path. It can also be used to modify the channel shape, size, and surface characteristics (e.g., hydrophilicity, degree of protein adsorption). By applying the masking technique, local modification of the channel surface can be achieved through cascade resin-gas injection. Keywords: micro-embossing, micro-injection molding, nanofabrication, microfluidic platform, bonding, surface modification, polymer INTRODUCTION The demand for high-precision miniature devices and efficient manufacturing technologies has been growing rapidly in recent years. Emerging markets include chemical and medical devices [1], telecommunication components, optical components, vehicle sensors [2], and mechanical devices. Most of these devices are currently built on single crystal and polycrystalline silicon (Si) materials. The main reason for choosing Si-based materials is that fabrication methods for these materials have been extensively developed for the microelectronics industry over the last four decades. However, for many applications (particularly in the biomedical field) these materials and their associated production methods are either too expensive or the material properties often induce problems like lack of optical clarity and poor bio-compatibility. By contrast, polymeric materials offer a wide range of physical and chemical properties, low cost, and good processibility for mass production. In addition, polymeric materials are recyclable. According to the January 1999 issue of Modern Plastics [2], the miniature plastic component market will grow to $45 billion worldwide in 2002. The largest U1.7.1 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. La Trobe University, on 25 Apr 2018 at 01:44