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Rapid bonding of Pyrex glass microchips
Author(s) -
Akiyama Yoshitake,
Morishima Keisuke,
Kogi Atsuna,
Kikutani Yoshikuni,
Tokeshi Manabu,
Kitamori Takehiko
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/elps.200600437
Subject(s) - anodic bonding , materials science , fabrication , borosilicate glass , composite material , bonding strength , thermal , soda lime glass , piston (optics) , optics , layer (electronics) , medicine , alternative medicine , physics , pathology , meteorology , wavefront
A newly developed vacuum hot press system has been specially designed for the thermal bonding of glass substrates in the fabrication process of Pyrex glass microchemical chips. This system includes a vacuum chamber equipped with a high‐pressure piston cylinder and carbon plate heaters. A temperature of up to 900°C and a force of as much as 9800 N could be applied to the substrates in a vacuum atmosphere. The Pyrex substrates bonded with this system under different temperatures, pressures, and heating times were evaluated by tensile strength tests, by measurements of thickness, and by observations of the cross‐sectional shapes of the microchannels. The optimal bonding conditions of the Pyrex glass substrates were 570°C for 10 min under 4.7 N/mm 2 of applied pressure. Whereas more than 16 h is required for thermal bonding with a conventional furnace, the new system could complete the whole bonding processes within just 79 min, including heating and cooling periods. Such improvements should considerably enhance the production rate of Pyrex glass microchemical chips. Whereas flat and dust‐free surfaces are required for conventional thermal bonding, especially without long and repeated heating periods, our hot press system could press a fine dust into glass substrates so that even the areas around the dust were bonded. Using this capability, we were able to successfully integrate Pt/Ti thin film electrodes into a Pyrex glass microchip.