Fabrication of Electroosmotic Flow Pump on Polymethylemethacrylate Substrate Using Hot Embossing

Abstract

Improved fabrication processes of a micro electroosmotic flow pump using hot embossing are described. The microchannels in the micropump were fabricated by hot embossing on a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) substrate. A silicon micromachined mold was pressed into the PMMA substrate at a temperature of 145 °C to form microchannel patterns on the substrate. The depth and width of the microchannels were 50 μm and 100 μm, respectively. Aluminum electrodes were deposited using thermal vacuum deposition. A UV ozone treatment was performed to improve adhesion between the PMMA substrate and a PMMA capping layer. This UV ozone treatment enhanced adhesion and resulted in the reduction of the adhesion temperature as low as 70 °C, and nearly no deformation of the microchannels was observed. As a result, the electroosmotic flow pump exhibited the flow rate of 0.5 μl/min when a voltage of 50 V was given between the electrodes separated 8 mm each other.

Micro hot embossing of thermoplastic polymers: a review

“…MEMs applications: polymer Polymer electrophoresis micro-chip [69][70][71][72], PMMA [14, 16, MEMs devices, due to low cost, electrochemical sensor [183], polymer 182, 184, 186], CA softness, transparency and electrostatic comb driver actuator [182], [15], COC environment-friendly properties lotus structures [184], micro flow pumps [16,[69][70][71][72]188], compared to traditional silicon [185][186][187], micro reactors [16] and PEDOT [183], PI material, are becoming an lab-on-a-chip devices [14,15,188]. [187].…”

A review on modelling and numerical simulation of micro hot embossing process: fabrication, mold filling behavior, and demolding analysis

“…The micro-HE process is believed to be the most effective and acceptable for developing micro or nano-components, particularly for parts with delicate geometry and high aspect ratio [2][3][4][5][6]. Furthermore, the micro-HE technique has a wide range of applications, for instance, micro-optical components like microlens array [7][8][9][10][11], antireflection film [12,13], light guided plate [14][15][16], drug delivery device [17], DNA and RNA separators [18,19], MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) like micro-pump [20,21], micro-reactor [22], micro-nozzles [23], micro-switches [24,25], super hydrophobic/ super hydrophilic surfaces [26][27][28][29], various antireflection films [30], different functional polymer-based devices including the large-volume manufacture of micro or nanostructures with great precision and control. The initial section will offer an overview of many frequently utilized micro-replication procedures.…”