• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.35-41
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• 2006

In this paper, we focus on improving the performance of the piezoelectric diaphragms of valveless micropumps. A circular lightweight piezoelectric composite actuator (LIPCA) with a high level of displacement and output force has been developed for piezoelectrically actuated micropumps. We used numerical and experimental methods to analyze the characteristics of the actuator to select optimal design. With the developed circular LIPCA, we fabricated a valveless micropump by photo-lithography and PDMS molding techniques. The displacement of the diaphragm, the flow rate and the back pressure of the micropump were evaluated and discussed. With a semi-empirical method, the flow rate with respect to driving frequency was predicted and compared with experimental one. The test results confirm that the circular LIPCA is a promising candidate for micropump application and can be used as a substitute for a conventional piezoelectric actuator diaphragm.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.1224-1226
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• 2003

In this work, we developed a high resolution printing technique based on transferring a pattern from a PDMS stamp to a Pd and Au substrate by microcontact printing Also, we fabricated various 2D metallic and polymeric nano patterns with the feature resolution of sub-micrometer scale by using the method of microcontact printing (${\mu}$CP) based on soft lithography. Silicon masters for the micro molding were made by e-beam lithography. Composite poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) molds were composed of a thin, hard layer supported by soft PDMS layer. From this work, it is certificated that composite PDMS mold and undercutting technique play an important role in the generation of a clear SAM nanopattern on Pd and Au substrate.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.375-379
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• 2008

This paper reports a new fabrication method of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microlenses with various curvatures by using a water-based mold. The hydrophobic surface of Polypropylene (PP) substrate was modified by corona discharge using tesla coil to have hydrophilic surface. Then hydrophilic surface of PP substrate takes hydrophobic recovery to have various contact angles from less than $25^{\circ}$ to about $84^{\circ}$. By using the water droplets with various contact angles as replica molds for PDMS process, we could obtain PDMS microlenses with various curvatures.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.352-356
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• 2013

We developed a novel fabrication method of polydimethylsioxane (PDMS) lens, which can easily control the shapes of the lens using soft lithography with common photolithography and water droplet molding. A mold for PDMS lens was prepared by patterning of hydrophobic photoresist on the hydrophilic substrate and dispensing small water droplets onto the predefined hydrophilic patterns. The size of patterns determined the dimension of the lens and the dispensed volume of the water droplet decided the radius of curvature of the PDMS lens independently. The water droplet with photoresist pattern played a robustly fixed mold for lens due to difference in wettability. The radius of curvature could be calculated theoretically because the water droplets could approximate spherical cap on the substrate. Finally, concave and convex PDMS lenses which could reduce or magnify optically were fabricated by curing of PDMS on the prepared mold. The measured radii of the fabricated PDMS lenses were well matched with the estimated values. We believe that our simple and efficient fabrication method can be adopted to PDMS microlens and extended to micro optical device, lab on a chip, and sensor technology.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SD
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.15-20
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• 2009

In a detection system based on laser light scattering, focusing an excitation laser beam into a focal point of a channel in a microfluidic chip is important for obtaining the highest excitation intensity, and consequently for obtaining a laser light scattering signal using a photodetector with a high efficiency. In this paper, we present a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chip consisting of an integrated PDMS microlens for cell detection based on laser light scattering. We fabricated PDMS microlens for optical detection system by simply putting down on PDMS chips. The PDMS microlens was fabricated by photoresist reflow and replica molding. This fabrication technique is simple and has an excellent property in terms of the microlens and a high-dimensional accuracy. The PDMS microlens integrated on the PDMS microfluidic chip has been verified to improve the laser intensity, and accordingly, the signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity of laser light scattering detection for red blood cells(RBCs)

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.999-1005
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• 2004

A new stamp fabrication technique for the soft lithography has been developed in the range of several microns by means of a nano-replication printing (nRP) process. In the nRP process, a figure or a pattern can be replicated directly from a two-tone bitmap figure with nano-scale details. A photopolymerizable resin was polymerized by the two-photon absorption which was induced by a femtosecond laser. After the polymerization of master patterns, a gold metal layer (about 30 ㎚ thickness) was deposited on the fabricated master patterns for the purpose of preventing a join between the patterns and the PDMS, then the master patterns were transferred in order to fabricate a stamp by using the PDMS (poly-dimethylsiloxane). In the transferring process, a few of gold particles, which were isolated from the master patterns, remained on the PDMS stamp. A gold selective etchant, the potassium iodine (KI) was employed to remove the needless gold particles without any damage to the PDMS stamp. Through this work, the effectiveness of the nRP process with the PDMS molding was evaluated to make the PDMS stamp with the resolution of around 200 ㎚.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.351-354
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• 2004

This work presents a simple and cost-effective approach for maskless fabrication of positive-tone silicon master for the replica molding of hyperfine elastomeric channel. Positive-tone silicon masters were fabricated by a maskless fabrication technique using the combination of nanoscratch by Nanoindenter ⓡ XP and XOH wet etching. Grooves were machined on a silicon surface coated with native oxide by ductile-regime nanoscratch, and they were etched in a 20 wt％ KOH solution. After the KOH etching process, positive-tone structures resulted because of the etch-mask effect of the amorphous oxide layer generated by nanoscratch. The size and shape of the positive-tone structures were controlled by varying the etching time (5, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30 min) and the normal loads (1, 5 mN) during nanoscratch. Moreover, the effects of the Berkovich tip alignment (0, 45$^{\circ}$) on the deformation behavior and etching characteristic of silicon material were investigated.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 2012

Piezoresistive type contact force sensor array is fabricated by (111) Silicon bulk micromachining for continuous blood pressure monitoring. Length and width of the unit sensor structure is $200{\mu}m$ and $190{\mu}m$, respectively. The gap between sensing elements is only $10{\mu}m$. To achieve wafer level packaging, the sensor structure is capped by PDMS soft cap using wafer molding and bonding process with $10{\mu}m$ alignment precision. The resistance change over contact force was measured to verify the feasibility of the proposed sensor scheme. The maximum measurement range and resolution is 900 mm Hg and 0.57 mm Hg, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.676-679
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• 2005

Nano imprint Lithography (NIL) is regarded as one of the next-generation lithography technologies with EUV lithography, immersion lithography, Laser interference lithography. Because a Si wafer stamp and a quartz stamp, used to imprinting usually are very expensive and easily broken, it is suggested that master stamp is duplicated by PDMS and the PDMS stamp uses to imprint .For using the PDMS stamp, a thermally curable monomer resin was used for the imprinting process to lower pressure and temperature. As a result, NIL patterns were successfully fabricated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.274.2-274.2
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• 2013

We described a simple and efficient fabrication method for generating microfluidic channels with a circular-cross sectional geometry by exploiting the reflow phenomenon of a thick positive photoresist. Initial rectangular shaped positive photoresist micropatterns on a silicon wafer, which were fabricated by a conventional photolithography process, were converted into a half-circular shape by tuning the temperature to around $105^{\circ}C$. Through optimization of the reflow conditions, we could obtain a perfect circular micropattern of the positive photoresist, and control the diameter in a range from 100 to 400 ${\mu}m$. The resultant convex half-circular photoresist was used as a template for fabricating a concave polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) through a replica molding process, and a circular PDMS microchannel was produced by bonding two half-circular PDMS layers. A variety of channel dimensions and patterns can be easily prepared, including straight, S-curve, X-, Y-, and T-shapes to mimic an in vivo vascular network. To inform an endothelial cell layer, we cultured primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) inside circular PDMS microchannels, and demonstrated successful cell adhesion, proliferation, and alignment along the channel.