High Throughput Manufacturing for Three-Dimensional Microfluidic Devices

描述（由申请人提供）：以光刻技术为基础的制造技术引领了微电子时代的到来，对社会和经济产生了巨大的影响。将微加工技术扩展到3D有可能彻底改变许多不同的领域，包括生物医学，能量转换和存储以及光子器件制造。虽然存在许多3D微加工技术，但它们存在低吞吐量和/或低分辨率的问题。重要的是，这些技术是不可扩展的；制造更大的设备需要更长的时间。在SBIR快速通道提案中，FemtoFab公司寻求资金来展示一种新的微制造工艺，即基于超快光脉冲时间聚焦的宽视场双光子3D光刻技术。这种新的制造技术，类似于标准的二维光刻，具有高吞吐量和可扩展性。与标准光刻不同，该技术能够制造具有3D分辨率特征的零件。在这种3D微加工工艺的许多不同应用中，FemtoFab公司已经确定了用于生物医学应用的微流体装置的制造是最有前途的方向。在生物医学领域，微流控装置已经在许多领域得到了应用，如即时诊断、药物发现和蛋白质结晶。将宽视场双光子3D光刻技术应用于制造，将解决微流控领域对低成本、高密度和多功能器件的需求。在第一阶段完成后，我们将展示使用这种新技术制造具有复杂3D结构的微流体通道。我们将进一步量化制造速度，以证明对仪器的额外投资将导致具有工业规模吞吐量的微制造平台。该项目第二阶段的额外资源将使我们能够建立和表征升级的宽视场双光子3D光刻微加工系统，其吞吐量和成本与工业规模制造相兼容。我们将进一步展示复杂的3D设备的制造与集成的主动微流体组件，如泵，阀门在高速和低成本。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Manufacturing based on photolithography has been responsible for ushering in the microelectronics era with enormous societal and economical impact. Extending microfabrication technology to 3D has the potential to revolutionize many diverse fields including biomedicine, energy conversation and storage, and photonic device manufacturing. While many 3D microfabrication techniques exist, they suffer from low throughput and/or low resolution. Importantly, these techniques are not scalable; longer times are required to build larger devices. In this SBIR Fast Track proposal, FemtoFab Inc. seeks funding to demonstrate a novel microfabrication process, wide-field two-photon 3D lithography, which is based on temporal focusing of ultrafast light pulses. This new manufacturing technique, similar to standard 2D photolithography, is high throughput and scalable. Unlike standard photolithography, this technique is capable of manufacturing parts with 3D resolved feature. Among the many diverse applications of this 3D microfabrication process, FemtoFab Inc. has identified the manufacturing of microfluidic devices for biomedical applications as the most promising direction. In biomedicine, microfluidic devices have found applications in numerous areas, such as point-of- care diagnostic, drug discovery, and protein crystallization. The adaptation of wide-field two- photon 3D lithography for manufacturing will address the demand of microfluidic field for lower cost, higher density, and multi-functional devices. At the completion of Phase I, we will demonstrate the fabrication of microfluidic channels with complex 3D structures using this new technique. We will further quantify fabrication speed to prove that will additional investment in instrumentation will result in a microfabrication platform with industrial scale throughput. The additional resources during Phase II of this project will allow us to build and characterize an upgraded wide-field two-photon 3D lithographic microfabrication system with throughput and cost compatible with industrial scale manufacturing. We will further demonstrate the fabrication of complex 3D devices with integrated active microfluidic components such as pumps, valves at high speed and low cost.