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Polycarbonate Masters for Soft Lithography.

Filippo Amadeo¹, Prithviraj Mukherjee¹, Hua Gao¹

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA.

|November 27, 2021

Summary

This study introduces a new method for creating durable polycarbonate (PC) masters for microfluidic devices using heat molding. This technique preserves master details, offers a low-cost, rapid alternative to traditional methods, and ensures long-term usability for microfluidic fabrication.

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Microfluidics Engineering
Nanotechnology

Background:

Soft lithography is a popular method for fabricating microfluidic devices.
Current methods use fragile and expensive photoresist masters on silicon substrates.
Existing master fabrication techniques are complex, costly, and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop an optimized replica molding approach for preserving original microfluidic masters.
To introduce a faster, simpler, and more cost-effective method for master fabrication.
To enable long-term preservation and replication of microfluidic device designs.

Main Methods:

Heat molding of polycarbonate (PC) sheets on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) molds.
Utilizing PDMS molds cast from original photoresist masters.

Keywords:

microfluidics polycarbonate polymer masters replica molding soft lithography

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Replication of various microfluidic device features including channels, spiral channels, and micropost arrays.

Main Results:

Successfully replicated microfluidic devices with high fidelity, preserving resolution and aspect ratios.
Achieved replication of features with aspect ratios from 0.025 to 7.3 and micropost arrays with 5 µm spacing.
Demonstrated the fabrication of rounded features like semi-spherical microwells with <2% variability.

Conclusions:

The PC master fabrication method is rapid, simple, low-cost, and does not require a cleanroom or hazardous chemicals.
Generated PC masters are rigid, durable, and withstand numerous replication cycles.
This approach provides a robust and easily reproducible solution for long-term preservation of soft lithography masters for microfluidics.