Microfluidic lithography

The top microfluidic architecture was fabricated using a multilayer soft lithography technique with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). In the figure, we illustrate a... 

A final mention should be made of the use of polysiloxanes in the area of microfluidics.377 381 Devices of this type have to have channels or capillaries with dimensions 10-10,000 pm, and their preparation is relatively straightforward with PDMS, using the soft-lithography techniques just described to make the required molds. 

Figure 2 A simple microfluidic device fabricated in glass using wet lithography. The typical channel dimensions in a microfluidic device are 5-100 lm.

The ability to fabricate nanostructures is essential to modem science and technology [1], Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) in its various forms has demonstrated potential applications in the fabrication of semiconductor devices, microfluidic devices, optical components, photonic devices, replica mold components and biological objects [2],... 

The control of surface chemistry has become increasingly important as numerous device and material properties are controlled by surfaces and interfaces. For example, surface patterning is the foundation of lithography, and its implications in fields such as microlelectronics or microfluidics are profound. 

A crucial contribution to the explosion of research activity in the field of microfluidics was the development of approachable procedures for microfabrication [4]. Fast prototyping via lithography and replication of the masters in polydimethylosiloxane - a technique often related to as soft-lithography [7] - made it possible to go from the idea to the fabricated chip within a day, with facile reproduction of the existing masters for multiple experiments [7]. 

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