Li Xiang, Yu Zeta Tak For, Geraldo Dalton, Weng Shinuo, Alve Nitesh, Dun Wu, Kini Akshay, Patel Karan, Shu Roberto, Zhang Feng, Li Gang, Jin Qinghui, Fu Jianping
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China.
Rev Sci Instrum. 2015 Jul;86(7):075008. doi: 10.1063/1.4927197.
Multilayer assembly is a commonly used technique to construct multilayer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic devices with complex 3D architecture and connectivity for large-scale microfluidic integration. Accurate alignment of structure features on different PDMS layers before their permanent bonding is critical in determining the yield and quality of assembled multilayer microfluidic devices. Herein, we report a custom-built desktop aligner capable of both local and global alignments of PDMS layers covering a broad size range. Two digital microscopes were incorporated into the aligner design to allow accurate global alignment of PDMS structures up to 4 in. in diameter. Both local and global alignment accuracies of the desktop aligner were determined to be about 20 μm cm(-1). To demonstrate its utility for fabrication of integrated multilayer PDMS microfluidic devices, we applied the desktop aligner to achieve accurate alignment of different functional PDMS layers in multilayer microfluidics including an organs-on-chips device as well as a microfluidic device integrated with vertical passages connecting channels located in different PDMS layers. Owing to its convenient operation, high accuracy, low cost, light weight, and portability, the desktop aligner is useful for microfluidic researchers to achieve rapid and accurate alignment for generating multilayer PDMS microfluidic devices.
多层组装是一种常用技术,用于构建具有复杂三维结构和连通性的基于聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)的多层微流控器件,以实现大规模微流控集成。在不同PDMS层的结构特征永久键合之前进行精确对准,对于确定组装的多层微流控器件的成品率和质量至关重要。在此,我们报告一种定制的台式对准仪,它能够对覆盖广泛尺寸范围的PDMS层进行局部和全局对准。在对准仪设计中纳入了两个数字显微镜,以实现直径达4英寸的PDMS结构的精确全局对准。台式对准仪的局部和全局对准精度均确定为约20μm/cm。为了证明其在制造集成多层PDMS微流控器件方面的实用性,我们应用台式对准仪在多层微流控中实现了不同功能PDMS层的精确对准,包括器官芯片装置以及集成了连接位于不同PDMS层中的通道的垂直通道的微流控器件。由于其操作方便、精度高、成本低、重量轻且便于携带,台式对准仪对微流控研究人员实现快速精确对准以制造多层PDMS微流控器件很有用。