Rapid prototyping of three-dimensional microfluidic mixers in glass by femtosecond laser direct writing.

The creation of complex three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic systems has attracted significant attention from both scientific and applied research communities. However, it is still a formidable challenge to build 3D microfluidic structures with arbitrary configurations using conventional planar lithographic fabrication methods. Here, we demonstrate rapid fabrication of high-aspect-ratio microfluidic channels with various 3D configurations in glass substrates by femtosecond laser direct writing. Based on this approach, we demonstrate a 3D passive microfluidic mixer and characterize its functionalities. This technology will enable rapid construction of complex 3D microfluidic devices for a wide array of lab-on-a-chip applications.

[1]  A. Miyawaki,et al.  Nano-aquarium for dynamic observation of living cells fabricated by femtosecond laser direct writing of photostructurable glass , 2008, Biomedical microdevices.

[2]  J. Lewis,et al.  Chaotic mixing in three-dimensional microvascular networks fabricated by direct-write assembly , 2003, Nature materials.

[3]  G M Whitesides,et al.  Fabrication of topologically complex three-dimensional microfluidic systems in PDMS by rapid prototyping. , 2000, Analytical chemistry.

[4]  Yves Bellouard,et al.  Optofluidic lab-on-a-chip for rapid algae population screening , 2011, Biomedical optics express.

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

[6]  Nam-Trung Nguyen,et al.  Micromixers?a review , 2005 .

[7]  Kevin Ke,et al.  Rapidly prototyped three-dimensional nanofluidic channel networks in glass substrates. , 2005, Analytical chemistry.

[8]  K. Sugioka,et al.  Three-dimensional micromachining of glass using femtosecond laser for lab-on-a-chip device manufacture , 2005 .

[9]  Koji Sugioka,et al.  Three‐dimensional femtosecond laser micromachining of photosensitive glass for biomicrochips , 2010 .

[10]  Stephen Wiggins,et al.  Foundations of chaotic mixing , 2004, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[11]  J. Meiners,et al.  Topologic mixing on a microfluidic chip , 2004 .

[12]  Philippe Carrière.  On a three-dimensional implementation of the baker’s transformation , 2007 .

[13]  R. Osellame,et al.  Optofluidic chip for single cell trapping and stretching fabricated by a femtosecond laser , 2010, Journal of biophotonics.

[14]  Roberta Ramponi,et al.  Three-dimensional Mach-Zehnder interferometer in a microfluidic chip for spatially-resolved label-free detection. , 2010, Lab on a chip.

[15]  A. Miyawaki,et al.  3D microfluidic chips with integrated functional microelements fabricated by a femtosecond laser for studying the gliding mechanism of cyanobacteria. , 2011, Lab on a chip.

[16]  Eiji Shamoto,et al.  Microfluidic baker's transformation device for three-dimensional rapid mixing. , 2011, Lab on a chip.

[17]  C. Grigoropoulos,et al.  Single cell detection using a glass-based optofluidic device fabricated by femtosecond laser pulses. , 2009, Lab on a chip.

[18]  Koji Sugioka,et al.  Fabrication of large-volume microfluidic chamber embedded in glass using three-dimensional femtosecond laser micromachining , 2011 .

[19]  G. Whitesides.  The origins and the future of microfluidics , 2006, Nature.

[20]  Danping Chen,et al.  Colorless transparent fluorescence material: Sintered porous glass containing rare-earth and transition-metal ions , 2005 .

[21]  C. Shu,et al.  Chaotic micromixers using two-layer crossing channels to exhibit fast mixing at low Reynolds numbers. , 2005, Lab on a chip.

[22]  Koji Sugioka,et al.  Microfluidic laser embedded in glass by three-dimensional femtosecond laser microprocessing. , 2004, Optics letters.

[23]  V Hessel,et al.  An optimised split-and-recombine micro-mixer with uniform chaotic mixing. , 2004, Lab on a chip.

[24]  J. Nishii,et al.  Three-dimensional hole drilling of silica glass from the rear surface with femtosecond laser pulses. , 2001, Optics letters.

[25]  I. Mezić,et al.  Chaotic Mixer for Microchannels , 2002, Science.

[26]  Jung Kyung Kim,et al.  Rapid three-dimensional passive rotation micromixer using the breakup process , 2004 .

[27]  E. Mazur,et al.  Femtosecond laser micromachining in transparent materials , 2008 .

[28]  J. Nishii,et al.  Femtosecond laser-assisted three-dimensional microfabrication in silica. , 2001, Optics letters.

[29]  Robin H. Liu,et al.  Passive mixing in a three-dimensional serpentine microchannel , 2000, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems.

[30]  Koji Sugioka,et al.  Three-dimensional microfluidic channel with arbitrary length and configuration fabricated inside glass by femtosecond laser direct writing. , 2010, Optics letters.