Microfluidics Core Facility Equipment for the production and validation of microfluidic chips

By using photolithography, we can generate the mold (Masterwafer) on a silicon wafer coated with photoresist. The Mask-less Aligner is our instrument of choice, because it makes the use of chrome masks redundant and allows us to generate a high number of Masterwafers in a relatively short amount of time. The resolution of the instrument is in the range between 1µm to 200µm in z-direction, and the smallest feature in x-y is 1x1µm.  Additionally to 2D microfluidic chips, it is possible to generate double-layer microfluidic wafers. They have the advantage of different heights incorporated in the same chip design.

After generating a Masterwafer (described under Mask-less Aligner (Heidelberg Instruments, µMLA)) it is crucial to measure the height of the generated structure. By using the interference profilometer we can precisely measure the height difference between silicon wafer and the exposed photoresist. The detection range is from 1µm up to 2-3mm.

The BMF microArch S140 is a precise digital light projection (DLP) printer with a layer thickness of 10µm. With the addition of the 3D printer, we can cover a bigger size range in preparing microfluidic devices. With a smallest resolution of 10µm, the printer allows for very fine feature sizes up to 14mm in height. Besides microfluidic devices, we are also using this instrument to prepare scaffolds or molds for different applications. Currently we have a biocompatible and a hard material resin available in the facility. On demand from the user, different resins can be purchased from the company by the µFlu CF. The printer also allows the usage of custom-made resins.

We use the AxioLab5 upright microscope to control the quality of our fabricated devices.