Fabrication of a microchannel device by hot embossing and direct bonding of poly(methyl methacrylate)

We have fabricated a 50-μm-wide and a 30-μm-deep microchannel device by hot embossing and the direct bonding of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) plates with dimensions of 20 × 20 × 1 mm³ and evaluated the device's mechanical, optical, and fluidic characteristics. The device's bond strength was confirmed to be sufficiently high for practical use as well as for withstanding severe cleaning conditions, such as ultrasonic cleaning in deionized water. The optical loss around the bonded interface was also evaluated, and no increase in light absorption was observed. There was no leakage or obstacles to smooth fluidic flow when methylene blue test liquid flowed in the channel. The above results confirmed that the hot embossing and direct bonding technologies for microchannel manufacturing using PMMA plates can realize high-performance microchannel devices.