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3D nanofabrication of fluidic components by corner lithography
Erwin J W Berenschot1, Narges Burouni, Bart Schurink
1Transducers Science and Technology Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P. O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|August 22, 2012
Summary
Corner lithography enables wafer-scale 3D nanostructure fabrication using thin film deposition and etching. This technique creates novel microfluidic devices for applications like cell trapping and nano-aperture tips.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Materials Science
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Reproducible wafer-scale fabrication of 3D nanostructures is challenging.
- Existing methods lack precision for complex 3D architectures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a novel wafer-scale method, corner lithography, for fabricating 3D nanostructures.
- To demonstrate the utility of corner lithography in creating functional 3D microfluidic components.
Main Methods:
- Corner lithography involves conformal deposition and timed isotropic etching of thin films on 3D silicon templates.
- The method utilizes residual thin film in concave corners as structural material or inversion masks.
- Fabrication of nano-aperture tips and nanowire frame-based particle/cell trapping devices.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated novel tips with nano-apertures for AFM-based liquid deposition.
- Developed and demonstrated a particle/cell trapping device using arrays of nanowire frames.
- Captured single primary bovine chondrocytes in nanowire cages, observing phenotype changes in a defined 3D microenvironment.
Conclusions:
- Corner lithography is a viable technique for reproducible wafer-scale 3D nanostructure fabrication.
- The developed microfluidic devices show potential for advanced applications in cell biology and nanotechnology.
- This method offers precise control over 3D microenvironments for cellular studies.
