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A Microfluidic Platform for High-throughput Single-cell Isolation and Culture
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Rapid Prototyping of Organ-on-a-Chip Devices Using Maskless Photolithography.

Dhanesh G Kasi1,2,3, Mees N S de Graaf1, Paul A Motreuil-Ragot4

  • 1Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands.

Micromachines
|January 21, 2022
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a rapid, cleanroom-free method for fabricating organ-on-a-chip (OoC) and microfluidic devices. Maskless photolithography significantly reduces prototyping time and costs for these advanced biological tools.

Keywords:
PRIMOSU-8backside exposuredigital micromirror device (DMD)grayscale photolithographylow-cost microfabricationmaskless photolithographyorgan-on-a-chip (OoC)photoresistpolydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)

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Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Materials Science
  • Microfabrication Technologies

Background:

  • Conventional organ-on-a-chip (OoC) and microfluidic device fabrication rely on complex, costly microfabrication requiring cleanrooms, silicon wafers, and photomasks.
  • The iterative design process in prototyping OoC and microfluidic devices often leads to significant time and resource expenditure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and demonstrate a simplified, rapid, and cleanroom-free microfabrication method for OoC and microfluidic devices.
  • To enable faster prototyping and reduce the cost associated with producing microfluidic systems.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a digital micromirror device (DMD)-based maskless photolithography system with 375 nm UV light.
  • Employed backside exposure of epoxy-based negative photoresist (SU-8) on glass coverslips.
  • Investigated grayscale photolithography for creating structures with varying heights.

Main Results:

  • Successfully fabricated microstructures, microgrooves, and microchannels of diverse geometries and dimensions.
  • Produced new SU-8 molds and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chips within hours.
  • Demonstrated single-step fabrication of structures with height gradients using backside UV exposure and grayscale lithography.

Conclusions:

  • The developed maskless photolithography approach offers a significant advantage by eliminating the need for cleanrooms and photomasks.
  • This method drastically reduces microfabrication time and costs, accelerating the prototyping cycle for organ-on-a-chip devices.
  • The ability to quickly design, project, and adjust digital masks facilitates rapid iteration and innovation in microfluidic device development.