Transport of Water and Particles in Microfluidics Devices Lithographically Fabricated Using Proton Beam Writing (PBW)

Abstract

Proton beam writing (PBW) is a MeV ion beam lithography technique that has gained interest in many biological applications such as fabricating microfluidic devices for Lab-On-a-Chip (LOC) applications where capillary forces are important for fluid flow. PBW has a unique capability of being able to direct-write patterns in thick (1-30µm) polymer resist layers with straight vertical sidewalls. It can be used to prepare master stamps and moulds for mass production in polymeric materials. A recent development, where the direct writing of an entire pattern element is carried out in parallel makes PBW especially well suited for Bio-MEMS LOC applications. In this study we have examined the flow dynamics using video microscopy of deionised water in fluidic channel patterns fluid reservoirs, capillary sections and a capillary pump written by PBW. The video microscopy data also demonstrated that the wetting behavior of the surface strongly influences the dynamics of fluid flow. This makes new approaches for LOC fabrication feasible and powerful.