LTCC microflow analyzers with monolithic integration of thermal control

Abstract

Recently, the low temperature co-fired ceramics technology has shown to be an excellent alternative to silicon-based microfabrication techniques for the production of three-dimensional structures using a multi-layer approach. This enables the integration of several unitary operations of a classical analytical process and also the integration of sensors, actuators and electronics in the same substrate. In this work, we show the integration of the actuators and the sensors needed for the control of temperature inside a miniaturized fluidic device. The proposed device presents enough thermal accuracy to be used in chemical systems where temperature control is a crucial factor, such as enzyme reactions or polymerase chain reaction systems.

The porosification of fired LTCC substrates by applying a wet chemical etching procedure

“…11 A comprehensive overview is given in Refs. 12,13 In this context, reliability in respect to mechanical strength is an important issue, especially when the LTCC needs to fulfil not only the requirements of a functional, but also of a structural material subjected to high mechanical load. 14,15 Besides these applications, LTCC is most favourably used as substrate for micromachined devices and systems operated at high frequencies typically ranging up to the microwave region.…”

Development of a micro-heat exchanger with stacked plates using LTCC technology

“…Martinez-Cisneros et al (2007) developed microflow analyzers incorporating a temperature control system based on an actuator (resistor) and a sensor (thermistor). Ibáñez-García et al (2008) presented an overview of LTCC technology and pointed it out as an alternative for the construction of microanalyzers.…”

Temperature Sensing in Modular Microfluidic Architectures

“…It also requires direct line-of-sight to the channel being integrated, limiting system complexity. Sensor integration avoids these constraints, and devices such as thermocouples/thermopiles [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ], thermistors [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], and resistance temperature detectors [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ] have been successfully fabricated alongside microfluidic channels. These devices require specialized thin-film manufacturing practices such as micromachining that are costly and limit their format to planar design, making them better suited as instruments for purely analytical activities (e.g., microcalorimetery).…”