Methods of fabricating polymeric structures incorporating microscale fluidic elements
DCFirst Claim
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1. A method of fabricating a microfluidic device, comprising:
- providing first substrate having a first planar surface, and a second substrate having a first planar surface, neither of the first surfaces of the first or second substrates having an adhesive disposed thereon, wherein the first planar surface of the second substrate has a lower transition temperature than the first surface of the first substrateheating the first planar surface of the second substrate approximately to the transition temperature of the first surface of the second substrate, but not to the transition temperature of the first surface of the first substrate;
bonding the first surface of the first substrate to the first surface of the second substrate.
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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.
339 Citations
120 Claims
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1. A method of fabricating a microfluidic device, comprising:
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providing first substrate having a first planar surface, and a second substrate having a first planar surface, neither of the first surfaces of the first or second substrates having an adhesive disposed thereon, wherein the first planar surface of the second substrate has a lower transition temperature than the first surface of the first substrate heating the first planar surface of the second substrate approximately to the transition temperature of the first surface of the second substrate, but not to the transition temperature of the first surface of the first substrate; bonding the first surface of the first substrate to the first surface of the second substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of fabricating a microfluidic device without the use of an adhesive, comprising:
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providing a first polymer substrate having a first planar surface, and a second polymer substrate having a first planar surface, wherein the first planar surface of the first substrate comprises a plurality of microscale grooves disposed therein; heating the first planar surface of the second substrate approximately to the transition temperature of the first surface of the second substrate without heating the first surface of the first substrate to the transition temperature of the first surface of the first substrate; and bonding the first surface of the first substrate to the first surface of the second substrate. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A method of fabricating a microfluidic device, comprising:
providing first substrate having a first planar surface, and a second substrate having a first planar surface, wherein; the first planar surface of the first substrate comprises a plurality of microscale grooves disposed therein; the first planar surface of the second substrate has a lower transition temperature than the first surface of the first substrate, neither of the first surfaces of the first and second substrates having an adhesive disposed thereon; heating the first planar surface of the second substrate approximately to the transition temperature of the first surface of the second substrate; and bonding the first surface of the first substrate to the first surface of the second substrate. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75)
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76. A method of fabricating a microfluidic device without the use of an adhesive, comprising:
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providing a first substrate having a first planar surface, and a second substrate having a first planar surface, the first planar surfaces of the first and second substrates being comprised of a first polymer, the first substrate having a plurality of microscale grooves disposed therein; heating the first planar surface of the second substrate approximately to the transition temperature of the first surface of the second substrate without heating the first surface of the first substrate to the transition temperature of the first surface of the first substrate; and bonding the first surface of the first substrate to the first surface of the second substrate. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120)
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Specification