Low-Cost Microfabrication Tool Box

Micromachines

Pavan Kumar Challa¹  Yudan Whulanza²  Ender Yildirim³  Jérôme Charmet⁴  Rui Rodrigues⁴  Benjamin Roberts⁵  Robert Dallmann⁵ 

[1] Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK;Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia;Mechanical Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey;Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK;Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK;

关键词: microfabrication;    microsystem;    manufacturing;    low-cost;    scaling laws;    lab-on-chip;   

DOI  :  10.3390/mi11020135

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Microsystems are key enabling technologies, with applications found in almost every industrial field, including in vitro diagnostic, energy harvesting, automotive, telecommunication, drug screening, etc. Microsystems, such as microsensors and actuators, are typically made up of components below 1000 microns in size that can be manufactured at low unit cost through mass-production. Yet, their development for commercial or educational purposes has typically been limited to specialized laboratories in upper-income countries due to the initial investment costs associated with the microfabrication equipment and processes. However, recent technological advances have enabled the development of low-cost microfabrication tools. In this paper, we describe a range of low-cost approaches and equipment (below £1000), developed or adapted and implemented in our laboratories. We describe processes including photolithography, micromilling, 3D printing, xurography and screen-printing used for the microfabrication of structural and functional materials. The processes that can be used to shape a range of materials with sub-millimetre feature sizes are demonstrated here in the context of lab-on-chips, but they can be adapted for other applications. We anticipate that this paper, which will enable researchers to build a low-cost microfabrication toolbox in a wide range of settings, will spark a new interest in microsystems.

【 授权许可】

Unknown