Fabrication Methods and Performance of Low-Permeability Microfluidic Components for a Miniaturized Wearable Drug Delivery System

In this paper, we describe low-permeability components of a microfluidic drug delivery system fabricated with versatile micromilling and lamination techniques. The fabrication process uses laminate sheets which are machined using XY milling tables commonly used in the printed-circuit industry. This adaptable platform for polymer microfluidics readily accommodates integration with silicon-based sensors, printed-circuit, and surface-mount technologies. We have used these methods to build components used in a wearable liquid-drug delivery system for in vivo studies. The design, fabrication, and performance of membrane-based fluidic capacitors and manual screw valves provide detailed examples of the capability and limitations of the fabrication method. We demonstrate fluidic capacitances ranging from 0.015 to 0.15 muL/kPa, screw valves with on/off flow ratios greater than 38000, and a 45times reduction in the aqueous fluid loss rate to the ambient due to permeation through a silicone diaphragm layer.

[1]  L.J. Guerin,et al.  Simple and low cost fabrication of embedded micro-channels by using a new thick-film photoplastic , 1997, Proceedings of International Solid State Sensors and Actuators Conference (Transducers '97).

[2]  J.O. Fiering,et al.  A Si-based FPW sensor array system with polymer microfluidics integrated on a PCB , 2002, Proceedings of IEEE Sensors.

[3]  Werner Karl Schomburg,et al.  Polymer micro valve with a hydraulic piezo-drive fabricated by the AMANDA process , 2004 .

[4]  João Pedro Conde,et al.  Electrostatically actuated bilayer polyimide-based microresonators , 2007 .

[5]  G. Whitesides,et al.  Soft Lithography. , 1998, Angewandte Chemie.

[6]  A. Wego,et al.  Fluidic microsystems based on printed circuit board technology , 2001 .

[7]  Arnaud Bertsch,et al.  Polyimide microfluidic devices with integrated nanoporous filtration areas manufactured by micromachining and ion track technology , 2004 .

[8]  P. Renaud,et al.  Polyimide-based microfluidic devices. , 2001, Lab on a Chip.

[9]  H. Fujita,et al.  Large deflection performance of surface micromachined corrugated diaphragms , 1991, TRANSDUCERS '91: 1991 International Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators. Digest of Technical Papers.

[10]  R. G. Christensen,et al.  Fabrication of plastic microfluid channels by imprinting methods. , 1997, Analytical chemistry.

[11]  Werner Karl Schomburg,et al.  AMANDA—surface micromachining, molding, and diaphragm transfer , 1999 .

[12]  C Gärtner,et al.  Polymer microfabrication methods for microfluidic analytical applications , 2000, Electrophoresis.

[13]  Robin Miles,et al.  Thin-walled compliant plastic structures for mesoscale fluidic systems , 1999, Photonics West - Biomedical Optics.

[14]  D. Beebe,et al.  Three-dimensional micro-channel fabrication in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer , 2000, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems.

[15]  Akira Kobayashi.  Machining of Plastics , 1967 .

[16]  Jeffrey T Borenstein,et al.  Inner ear drug delivery via a reciprocating perfusion system in the guinea pig. , 2005, Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society.

[17]  H. Troy Nagle,et al.  Flexible (Kapton-based) microsensor arrays of high stability for cardiovascular applications , 1993 .

[18]  Mario Di Giovanni,et al.  Flat and Corrugated Diaphragm Design Handbook , 1982 .

[19]  N. Nguyen,et al.  Fundamentals and Applications of Microfluidics , 2002 .

[20]  Holger Becker,et al.  Hot embossing as a method for the fabrication of polymer high aspect ratio structures , 2000 .

[21]  Peter M. Martin,et al.  Laminated plastic microfluidic components for biological and chemical systems , 1999 .

[22]  G. Whitesides,et al.  Torque-actuated valves for microfluidics. , 2005, Analytical chemistry.

[23]  M. Holley,et al.  Keynote review: The auditory system, hearing loss and potential targets for drug development. , 2005, Drug discovery today.

[24]  Bozhi Yang,et al.  Using compliant membranes for dynamic flow stabilization in microfluidic systems , 2005, 18th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, 2005. MEMS 2005..

[25]  J. Fiering,et al.  Local drug delivery with a self-contained, programmable, microfluidic system , 2009, Biomedical microdevices.

[26]  Mark J. Mescher,et al.  SURFACE MOUNT MICROFLUIDIC FLOW REGULATOR ON A POLYMER SUBSTRATE , 2003 .