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Low-temperature direct bonding of glass nanofluidic chips using a two-step plasma surface activation process

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Abstract

Owing to the well-established nanochannel fabrication technology in 2D nanoscales with high resolution, reproducibility, and flexibility, glass is the leading, ideal, and unsubstitutable material for the fabrication of nanofluidic chips. However, high temperature (~1,000 °C) and a vacuum condition are usually required in the conventional fusion bonding process, unfortunately impeding the nanofluidic applications and even the development of the whole field of nanofluidics. We present a direct bonding of fused silica glass nanofluidic chips at low temperature, around 200 °C in ambient air, through a two-step plasma surface activation process which consists of an O2 reactive ion etching plasma treatment followed by a nitrogen microwave radical activation. The low-temperature bonded glass nanofluidic chips not only had high bonding strength but also could work continuously without leakage during liquid introduction driven by air pressure even at 450 kPa, a very high pressure which can meet the requirements of most nanofluidic operations. Owing to the mild conditions required in the bonding process, the method has the potential to allow the integration of a range of functional elements into nanofluidic chips during manufacture, which is nearly impossible in the conventional high-temperature fusion bonding process. Therefore, we believe that the developed low-temperature bonding would be very useful and contribute to the field of nanofluidics.

Direct bonding of fused silica glass nanofluidic chips at low temperature, around 200 °C in ambient air, through a two-step plasma surface activation process which consists of an O2 RIE plasma treatment followed by a nitrogen MW radical activation

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Specially Promoted Research (21000007) of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and SCF (Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology) of MEXT of Japan. Dr. Dong thanks the AQSIQ Public Sector-Oriented Research Fund (no. 201010017) for supporting his study. The authors also thank Mr. Akira Yamauchi, Bondtech Company Ltd., for technical support and discussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan

    Yan Xu, Yiyang Dong, Lixiao Li, Kihoon Jang, Kazuma Mawatari & Takehiko Kitamori

  2. Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research Center, Research Organization for the 21st Century, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-2, Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka, 599-8570, Japan

    Yan Xu

  3. Department of Precision Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan

    Chenxi Wang & Tadatomo Suga

  4. Institute of Food Safety, Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine Science, No. 3A, North Gaobeidian Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100123, China

    Yiyang Dong

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  1. Yan Xu
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  2. Chenxi Wang
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  3. Yiyang Dong
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  4. Lixiao Li
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  6. Kazuma Mawatari
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  8. Takehiko Kitamori
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Correspondence to Yan Xu or Takehiko Kitamori.

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Xu, Y., Wang, C., Dong, Y. et al. Low-temperature direct bonding of glass nanofluidic chips using a two-step plasma surface activation process. Anal Bioanal Chem 402, 1011–1018 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5574-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5574-2

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