Photo-patternable Adhesive (PA) material developed by JSR and research institute Imec has successfully been used for wafer-scale processing of lab-on-chip devices. This material was used in the processing of microfluidic cell-sorter devices, merging microheaters and sensors with wafer-scale polymer microfluidics.
Described as a ‘breakthrough material’, PA is a good microfluidic channel material and adhesive at the same time, suitable for wafer-scale processes and mass production.
Lab-on-chip technology is tipped to be a strong ‘driver’ of revolutionary technology in the medical industry in years to come. It will enable powerful point-of-care diagnosis and treatment through on-chip molecular synthesis, separation, sensing, and detection. Key will be the ability to integrate microfluidics with heterogeneous components such as electronics, sensors, microheaters, and photonics in a cost-effective manner. To merge these elements successfully, new bonding and surface treatment materials are needed.
PA solves a number of issues that we have with other materials, such as the widely-used PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane, a silicon-based organic polymer)”, said Liesbet Lagae, Imec R&D Manager of life science technologies. It has all the characteristics we are looking for in a photopatternable material to create microfluidic channels on silicon wafers, including a good channel definition and biocompatibility. But at the same time, it is an adhesive that allows direct thermal bonding with the cover glass. But unlike PDMS, it allows for wafer-scale processing, which is a prerequisite for industrial mass production.”
Imec advises it ha used PA to process the next generation of its cell sorter lab-on-chip. Integrating on-chip imaging, in-flow cell tomography to identify cells, and bubble jet-flow technology to guide and sort individual cells; the prototype lab-on-chip can process up to 2,000 cells per second.
One application envisaged for these ultrafast cell-sorters is the detection of circulating tumor cells in human blood.
Imec
