Methods of fabricating polymeric structures incorporating microscale fluidic elements

• US 20030150555A1
• Filed: 02/06/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caliper Life Sciences Incorporated (Revvity, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Caliper Technologies Corp (Revvity, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dubrow, Robert S., Bousse, Luc J., Gandhi, Khushroo
• Granted Patent: US 7,138,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/292
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/12 Specific details about manufacturing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502707 characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components by shaping or joining plastic parts B29C59/00, B29C65/00; by laminating B32B37/00; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/342 according to optical properties, e.g. colour according to radiation transmittivity B07C5/3416
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/02 by heating, with or without pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/08 using ultrasonic vibrations non-plastics element to plastics elements B29C65/645
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/8253 by the use of waves or particle radiation, e.g. visual examination, scanning electron microscopy, or X-rays B29C65/8292 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/30223 said melt initiators being rib-like
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/54 Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/712 the composition of one of the parts to be joined being different from the composition of the other part
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/723 being multi-layered B29C66/7292, B29C66/72941 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73115 Melting point
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73343 at least one of the parts to be joined being matt or refractive
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73365 at least one of the parts to be joined being transparent or translucent to visible light
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8322 Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/06 PE, i.e. polyethylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/12 PP, i.e. polypropylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/18 Polymers of hydrocarbons having four or more carbon atoms, e.g. polymers of butylene, e.g. PB, i.e. polybutylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/06 PVC, i.e. polyvinylchloride
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/14 PVF, i.e. polyvinyl fluoride
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/18 : PTFE, i.e. polytetrafluorethene , e.g. ePTFE, i.e. expanded polytetrafluorethene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2033/12 : Polymers of methacrylic acid esters, e.g. PMMA, i.e. polymethylmethacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2055/02 : ABS polymers, i.e. acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/00 : Use of polyesters or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2069/00 : Use of PC, i.e. polycarbonates or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2081/06 : PSU, i.e. polysulfones; PES, i.e. polyethersulfones or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/756 : Microarticles, nanoarticles
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2037/0092 : in which absence of adhesives is explicitly presented as an advantage
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2310/028 : using vibration, e.g. sonic or ultrasonic
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2310/0843 : using laser
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/0023 : around holes, apertures or channels present in at least one layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/06 : Embossing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/44791 : Microapparatus sample containers with integrated microfluidic structures B01L3/5027
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 : Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2495 : Thickness [relative or absolute]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/266 : of base or substrate

Abstract

The present invention generally provides improved methods of fabricating polymeric microfluidic devices that incorporate microscale fluidic structures, whereby the fabrication process does not substantially distort or deform such structures. The methods of the invention generally provide enhanced bonding processes for mating and bonding substrate layers to define the microscale channel networks therebetween.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a microfluidic device, comprising:

providing a first substrate having at least a first surface and a second substrate having at least a first surface, wherein at least one of the first surface of the first substrate or the first surface of the second substrate comprises a textured surface; and

mating and bonding the first surface of the first substrate to the first surface of the second substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the textured surface comprises a plurality of raised ridges on the textured surface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the textured surface comprises a plurality of microscale posts on the textured surface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of mating and bonding comprises applying heat and pressure to the first and second substrates to thermally bond the first surface of the first surface to the first surface of the second substrate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first surface of the first substrate and the first surface of the second substrate comprises a plurality of grooves fabricated therein, the grooves defining an integrated channel network when the first and second substrates are mated and bonded, and wherein features of the textured surface have a height that is no greater than 50% of a depth of the grooves.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first surface of the first substrate and the first surface of the second substrate comprises a plurality of grooves fabricated therein, the grooves defining an integrated channel network when the first and second substrates are mated and bonded, and wherein features of the textured surface have a height that is between about 1% and about 50% of a depth of the grooves.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first surface of the first substrate and the first surface of the second substrate comprises a plurality of grooves fabricated therein, the grooves defining an integrated channel network when the first and second substrates are mated and bonded, and wherein features of the textured surface have a height that is between about 1% and about 30% of a depth of the grooves.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first surface of the first substrate and the first surface of the second substrate comprises a plurality of grooves fabricated therein, the grooves defining an integrated channel network when the first and second substrates are mated and bonded, and wherein features of the textured surface have a height that is between about 1% and about 10% of a depth of the grooves.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first surface of the first substrate and the first surface of the second substrate comprises a plurality of grooves fabricated therein, the grooves defining an integrated channel network when the first and second substrates are mated and bonded, and wherein features of the textured surface have a height that from about 0.25 μ

m to about 50 μ

m high.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first surface of the first substrate and the first surface of the second substrate comprises a plurality of grooves fabricated therein, the grooves defining an integrated channel network when the first and second substrates are mated and bonded, and wherein features of the textured surface have a height that from about 0.25 μ

m to about 30 μ

m high.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first surface of the first substrate and the first surface of the second substrate comprises a plurality of grooves fabricated therein, the grooves defining an integrated channel network when the first and second substrates are mated and bonded, and wherein features of the textured surface have a height that from about 0.25 μ

m to about 10 μ

m high.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first surface of the first substrate and the first surface of the second substrate comprises a plurality of grooves fabricated therein, the grooves defining an integrated channel network when the first and second substrates are mated and bonded, and wherein features of the textured surface have a height that from about 0.5 μ

m to about 2 μ

m high.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of mating and bonding comprises ultrasonically welding the first surface of the first substrate to the first surface of the second substrate.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of mating and bonding comprises thermally bonding the first surface of the first substrate to the first surface of the second substrate.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of mating and bonding comprises sonically bonding the first surface of the first substrate to the first surface of the second substrate.

16. A method of fabricating a microfluidic device, comprising:

providing first substrate having a first planar surface, and a second substrate layer having a first planar surface, wherein the first planar surface of the second substrate has a lower transition temperature than the first surface of the first substrate

thermally bonding the first surface of the first substrate to the first surface of the second substrate, whereby the first surface of the second substrate does not substantially project into the plurality of channels.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the first surface of the second substrate projects into the plurality of channels less than 10% of a total cross-sectional area of an unobstructed channel.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first surface of the second substrate projects into the plurality of channels less than 5% of a total cross-sectional area of an unobstructed channel.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first surface of the second substrate projects into the plurality of channels less than 2% of a total cross-sectional area of an unobstructed channel.