Processes for rapid microfabrication using thermoplastics and devices thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9522820-B2
Application number	US-74259808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2008
Priority date	Nov 13, 2007
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A method is provided to prepare one or more microfluidic channels on a receptive material by applying an image-forming material to a heat sensitive thermoplastic receptive material in a designed pattern and heating the material under conditions that reduce the size of the thermoplastic receptive material by at least about 60%. In an alternative aspect, the microfluidic channels on receptive material are prepared by etching a designed pattern into a heat sensitive thermoplastic material support and then heating the material under conditions that reduce the size of the thermoplastic receptive material by at least about 60%.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method to prepare a textured metal surface, comprising the steps of:
a) depositing a metal film onto a heat sensitive thermoplastic receptive material; and
b) reducing the heat sensitive thermoplastic receptive material with the metal film deposited thereon in plane with respect to at least one of width and length, by at least about 60%, wherein the metal film deposited on the heat sensitive thermoplastic receptive material forms wrinkles having a height or thickness, wherein a height or thickness of the wrinkles is over 500% the thickness of the metal film deposited on the heat sensitive thermoplastic receptive material prior to reducing in plane with respect to at least one of width and length;
thereby preparing a textured metal surface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat sensitive thermoplastic receptive material is uni-axially biased prior to performing steps a) and b).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal film is deposited by sputter coating, evaporation or chemical vapor deposition.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal film is deposited in a thickness from about 2 nanometers to about 100 nanometers.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal film comprises one or more of the group of silver, gold or copper.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat sensitive thermoplastic receptive material is reduced to achieve a surface texture in the range of from about 100 nanometers to about 5 micrometers.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat sensitive thermoplastic receptive material is polystyrene.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal film is deposited in a desired pattern.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat sensitive thermoplastic receptive material is reduced by heating.

Assignees

• Khine Michelle
• Chen Chi-Shuo
• Grimes Anthony
• Breslauer David Nate
• Lee Luke
• Dunlap Michael
• Gopinathan Ajay
• Ghosh Sayantani
• Univ California

Inventors

• Khine Michelle
• Chen Chi-Shuo
• Grimes Anthony
• Breslauer David Nate
• Lee Luke
• Dunlap Michael
• Gopinathan Ajay
• Ghosh Sayantani

Classifications

• H10P14/6332

  using thermal evaporation (formation of epitaxial layers by a deposition process H10P14/6349) · CPC title

• H10P14/6334

  using decomposition or reaction of gaseous or vapour phase compounds, i.e. chemical vapour deposition (deposition by physical ablation of a target H10P14/6329) · CPC title

• B01F5/0647

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• H01L21/02269

  Electricity · mapped topic

• B81B2201/058

  Microfluidics not provided for in B81B2201/051 - B81B2201/054 · CPC title