A. A. Evstrapov, T. A. Lukashenko, S. G. Gorny*, K. V. Yudin*
Institute for Analytical Instrumentation RAS, Saint-Petersburg
*"Laser Center", Ltd., Saint-Petersburg
A method of laser ablation (LA) of polymers combined with
thermal sealing of microstructures is introduced as a tool for rapid fabrication
of microfluidic devices (including microfluidic chips) for analytical instruments.
Some specific features of LA are discussed, models to evaluate the obtained
structures (channels) are described, experimental results achieved in forming
microscale structures in plates and films of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)
are presented. It is shown that geometrical characteristics and dimensions
of the obtained structures depend on the light beam parameters, instrumentation
characteristics, and polymer properties. Optimization and control of those
parameters allow one to form reproducible microstructures in PMMA, which can
be success-fully used for fabrication of microfluidic devices and chips.