Integration of electrowetting technology inside an all-glass microfluidic network

04 Pubblicazione in atti di convegno
Lovecchio Nicola, Sacco G., Petrucci Giulia, DI FIORE Valeria, Toti C., DE CESARE Giampiero, Caputo Domenico, Nardecchia Marco, Costantini Francesca, Nascetti Augusto

This paper presents a low temperature technological process able to integrate an all-glass microfluidic network with an ElectroWetting On Dielectric (EWOD) structure for the digital handling of liquids. The fluidic channels result from the wet-etching of the glass, while the electrodes necessary for the droplet movement are deposited on the bottom and top surfaces of the microfluidic structure. The bottom electrodes are produced by a selective and sequential photolithographic pattern of a stack of metals, insulation layer and hydrophobic film. The top common electrode is made by a continuous transparent conductive oxide, covered by a hydrophobic layer. Compatibility of the technological steps and mechanical robustness of the proposed device have been tested designing and fabricating a microfluidic network integrating a central chamber, with a volume of about 9 ?l, two reservoirs, two microfluidic channels and 26 EWOD electrodes. The maximum temperature reached during the device fabrication was 330°C, which is two times lower than the one used for the anodic bonding of glass-based microfluidic network.

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