Abstract:
A method of fabricating a device comprising mechanically patterning a device layer using a stamp containing the desired pattern. The device layer is formed on a plastic or polymeric substrate. The stamp is pressed against the substrate under a load which patterns the device layer without cracking it in the non-patterned areas.
Abstract:
Electronic and glass structures are formed by forming a recessed pattern on a flat glass substrate using a recessed imaging surface, and the resultant recessed pattern on the glass is filled with an electrically conductive material to form electrodes. Barrier ribs may then be formed between the electrodes using a recessed imaging surface.
Abstract:
The invention provides a system and process of patterning structures on a carbon based surface comprising exposing part of the surface to an ion flux, such that material properties of the exposed surface are modified to provide a hard mask effect on the surface. A further step of etching unexposed parts of the surface forms the structures on the surface. The inventors have discovered that by controlling the ion exposure, alteration of the surface structure at the top surface provides a mask pattern, without substantially removing any material from the exposed surface. The mask allows for subsequent ion etching of unexposed areas of the surface leaving the exposed areas raised relative to the unexposed areas thus manufacturing patterns onto the surface. For example, a Ga+ focussed ion beam exposes a pattern onto a diamond surface which produces such a pattern after its exposure to a plasma etch. The invention is particularly suitable for patterning of clear well-defined structures down to nano-scale dimensions.
Abstract:
A method is provided for manufacturing microstructures of the type which contain a substrate and an array of protruding microelements with through-holes, which are used in penetrating layers of skin. The microelements are embossed or pressed into an initial substrate structure, which in some embodiments is formed from extruded polymeric material, and in some cases from two layers of polymer that are co-extruded. The through-holes are formed from filled through-cylinders of a second material that is removed after the embossing or pressing step; in other instances, the through-holes are left hollow during the embossing or pressing step.
Abstract:
The present invention is directed towards a method and means for molecularly patterning a surface to promote the patterned attachment of a target adherent. In some preferred embodiments the target adherent is a biological cell, but it can more generally be a biological or chemical species for which attachment at specific sites is desired. The method generally involves using a stamp to microcontact print a first type of molecule on the surface. With the stamp remaining in situ, the process then involves fluidic patterning of a second type of molecule through selected openings defined by selected recesses in the stamp and the surface itself. The second type of molecule should have an adhesion property relative to the target adherent that is complementary to that of the first type of molecule. The stamp is removed only after both the first and second types of molecules have been transferred to the surface.
Abstract:
The present invention provides, in certain embodiments, improved microfluidic systems and methods for fabricating improved microfluidic systems, which contain one or more levels of microfluidic channels. The inventive methods can provide a convenient route to topologically complex and improved microfluidic systems. The microfluidic systems provided according to the invention can include three-dimensionally arrayed networks of fluid flow paths therein including channels that cross over or under other channels of the network without physical intersection at the points of cross over. The microfluidic networks of the invention can be fabricated via replica molding processes, also provided by the invention, utilizing mold masters including surfaces having topological features formed by photolithography. The microfluidic networks of the invention are, in some cases, comprised of a single replica molded layer, and, in other cases, are comprised of two, three, or more replica molded layers that have been assembled to form the overall microfluidic network structure. The present invention also describes various novel applications for using the microfluidic network structures provided by the invention.
Abstract:
현재의 기술을 사용하여 제조된 유사한 성형된 유리 제품보다 저가 및/또는 향상된 치수 특성을 갖는, 유리 또는 유리-함유 물질을 포함하는 미세유체 장치를 제조하는 방법이 개시되어 있다. 보다 상세하게는, 패턴화된 주형 표면을 갖는 경질(rigid), 비-점착성(non-strick) 물질의 제 1 단편이 제공되고; 제 1 유리-함유 조성물 양을 제공되며; 상기 제 1 유리-함유 조성물 양은 상기 패턴화된 주형 표면과 접촉되고; 상기 패턴화된 주형 표면 및 제 2 표면 사이에 상기 제 1 유리-함유 조성물 양이 압착(pressing) 되며; 상기 유리 함유 조성물 양이 충분히 연화되도록, 상기 경질 비-점착성 물질의 단편 및 상기 제 1 유리-함유 조성물 양을 함께 가열하여, 상기 패턴화된 주형 표면이 상기 제 1 유리-함유 조성물 양에서 복제되고, 상기 제 1 유리-함유 조성물 양은 제 1 성형-유리 함유 제품을 성형하며; 적어도 하나의 유체 통로를 갖는 미세유체 장치를 생산하도록 상기 제 1 성형 유리-함유 제품의 적어도 일부분이 밀봉된다. 유리-함유 조성물, 미세유체 장치, 패턴화된 주형, 경질, 비-점착성