Evaluation of different PDMS interconnection solutions for silicon, Pyrex and COC microfluidic chips

One of the most crucial issues in the domain of microfluidics is the chip to world interface. This paper describes a characterization methodology of a quite common microfluidic interconnection scheme, based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), applied to some of the most popular substrates (silicon, Pyrex and cyclic olefin copolymer) for microfluidic applications. Particular emphasis is given to the evaluation of leakage endurance as a function of the main geometrical parameters of the interconnections and the selected bonding technique. Oxygen plasma activation of the PDMS surface and the application of a thin PDMS interlayer demonstrated the most attractive solutions, due to the straightforward approach and limited cost. Maximum sustainable pressures in excess of 200 kPa have been achieved. Results obtained are critically discussed with the aim to outline PDMS interconnection guidelines for different microfluidic applications.

[1]  Junghoon Lee,et al.  Dynamic wettability switching by surface roughness effect , 2003, The Sixteenth Annual International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, 2003. MEMS-03 Kyoto. IEEE.

[2]  J M Cooper,et al.  Interconnected reversible lab-on-a-chip technology. , 2002, Lab on a chip.

[3]  Shaochen Chen,et al.  Polydimethylsioxane fluidic interconnects for microfluidic systems , 2003 .

[5]  Aniruddha Puntambekar,et al.  Self-aligning microfluidic interconnects for glass- and plastic-based microfluidic systems , 2002 .

[6]  M. Chaudhury,et al.  Hydrophobicity loss and recovery of silicone HV insulation , 1999, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation.

[7]  Neelesh A. Patankar,et al.  Contact angle hysteresis on rough hydrophobic surfaces , 2004 .

[8]  Hyeon-Bong Pyo,et al.  A polymer-based microfluidic device for immunosensing biochips. , 2003, Lab on a chip.

[9]  Z Hugh Fan,et al.  Macro-to-micro interfaces for microfluidic devices. , 2004, Lab on a chip.

[10]  A. Manz,et al.  Miniaturized total chemical analysis systems: A novel concept for chemical sensing , 1990 .

[11]  Stephen R Quake,et al.  Solving the "world-to-chip" interface problem with a microfluidic matrix. , 2003, Analytical chemistry.

[12]  Chang Liu,et al.  Re-configurable fluid circuits by PDMS elastomer micromachining , 1999, Technical Digest. IEEE International MEMS 99 Conference. Twelfth IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (Cat. No.99CH36291).

[13]  Risto Kostiainen,et al.  Re-usable multi-inlet PDMS fluidic connector , 2006 .

[14]  Ian Papautsky,et al.  Re-usable quick-release interconnect for characterization of microfluidic systems , 2006 .

[15]  Grant D. Smith,et al.  Crosslinked polydimethylsiloxane exposed to oxygen plasma studied by neutron reflectometry and other surface specific techniques , 2000 .

[16]  A. Majumdar,et al.  Stamp-and-stick room-temperature bonding technique for microdevices , 2005, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems.

[17]  J. Berg,et al.  Studies on surface wettability of poly(dimethyl) siloxane (PDMS) and glass under oxygen-plasma treatment and correlation with bond strength , 2005, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems.

[18]  A J de Mello,et al.  A high-pressure interconnect for chemical microsystem applications. , 2001, Lab on a chip.

[19]  Ulf W. Gedde,et al.  Hydrophobicity Recovery of Polydimethylsiloxane after Exposure to Corona Discharges , 1998 .

[20]  M. Kothare,et al.  Novel microfluidic interconnectors for high temperature and pressure applications , 2003 .

[21]  M. Chaudhury,et al.  Corona-discharge-induced hydrophobicity loss and recovery of silicones , 1999, 1999 Annual Report Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena (Cat. No.99CH36319).

[22]  H. Hillborg,et al.  Hydrophobicity changes in silicone rubbers , 1999, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation.