MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES FABRICATED WITH LOW-TEMPERATURE CO-FIRED
CERAMIC TAPES
by
Haim H. Bau, Ph.D.
Professor and Graduate Group Chairman
Department of Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6315
Wednesday, October 4, 2000
3:30-5:00 p.m.
Room 108 ME
Broadcast on UNITE Channel A
Coffee and cookies will be available in 152 ME following the
seminar
Low temperature, co-fired ceramic tape technology
was initially developed for manufacturing interconnects and hybrid
microelectronics. Recently, we have recognized that ceramic tapes
can also be used as an efficient medium for the packaging and
interconnecting of micro-fluidic components. Moreover, many components
can be fabricated directly in the ceramic tapes and integrated
into a single substrate. In the green (pre-fired) state, the ceramic
tapes are pliable and easily machinable. In each layer, one can
machine flow conduits and print metallic lines to form, among
other things, conductors, resistors, thermistors, and electrodes.
Hollow and filled vias can provide interlayer connections. Very
many layers of various thicknesses can be stacked together, aligned,
laminated, and co-fired to form complicated three-dimensional,
monolithic structures.
The talk will start by briefly describing various
machining techniques for pre-fired ceramic tapes; the dimensional
changes that occur during lamination and firing; methods to counteract
these undesired changes; and the bonding of the tapes to other
materials such as glass, alumina, silicon, and metals to form
hybrid structures. Subsequently, the speaker will describe a number
of components that his group has fabricated in ceramic tapes such
as an impactor for the inertial separation of air-borne particles,
a thermal cycler that can be used for DNA amplification, an electrophoretic
cell, a mixer, and electromagnetic actuators. In some cases, theoretical
predictions of devices' performances will also be presented. In
the future, we hope to integrate all these components into biological
and chemical laboratories on a "chip" that will allow
massive parallel and sequential processing. Packaging is widely
considered to be the Achilles heel of silicon-based MEMS technology.
Low temperature, co-fired ceramic tapes offer an interesting alternative
by facilitating the fabrication of many components directly in
the packaging material. This layered manufacturing technology
permits flexible manufacturing and rapid prototyping and requires
only relatively inexpensive equipment.
Haim H. Bau is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering
and Applied Mechanics. He has been with the University of Pennsylvania
since 1980. Haim received his undergraduate degree from the Technion,
the Israel Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. degree from Cornell
University, Ithaca NY- all in Mechanical Engineering. He is currently
active in two different research areas: control of fluid flow
and microfluidic devices.
Informal Faculty Luncheon: Wednesday,
October 4, 2000, 12:00 noon. A table is reserved at McCormick's
Restaurant, Radisson Hotel Metrodome. Professor Bau will be able
to attend.
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