Integration of functional microstructures inside a microfluidic chip by direct femtosecond laser writing

Abstract

In the development of microfluidic systems, conventional 2D processing technologies are increasingly difficult to meet the requirement of integration of multifunctional components within a microchannel. Recently, two-photon polymerization (TPP) technology has emerged as a novel alternative to fabricate 3D microdevices functionalizing conventional microfluidic chips. Here, the development of TPP microfluidic technology comprising parallel fabrication, holographic patterning method and real-time lithography in a controlled flow is reported. And a series of functional microcomponents containing microfilters, microsorters, microtrap, tunable microlens are fabricated by above methods. The results indicate that the processing of microfluidic devices is simple, timesaving, low cost and programmable designability. The functional microchips are further used in blood cells sorting, biomedical sensing, microparticle purification and trapping with successful test results.