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US 6,180,536 B2Granted
Suspended moving channels and channel actuators for microfluidic applications and method for making
AssigneeCornell Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorsJohn M. Chong, Noel C. MacDonald
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A microfabrication process for making enclosed, subsurface microfluidic tunnels, cavities, channels, and the like within suspended beams includes etching a single crystal silicon wafer to produce trenches defining a beam. The trench walls are oxidized, and the interior of the beam is etched through a channel via on the top of the beam to form a hollow beam with oxide sidewalls. The beam is released, and the via is then sealed to form an enclosed released channel beam,
Claims22
A process for fabricating a released channel beam, comprising:
- etching trenches having vertical sidewalls in a substrate, said sidewalls defining the sides of at least one beam to be released from the substrate;
- providing mask layers on the sidewalls of said at least one beam;
- isotropically etching said at least one beam to form a channel which extends between the mask layers on said beam sidewalls;
- and
- further etching the trenches to undercut and release the beam from the substrate.
2 more elements
A process for fabricating a released channel beam, comprising:
- providing an oxide mask layer on a top surface of a substrate;
- producing in said oxide mask layer a pattern including a trench pattern defining the shape of at least one beam to be released from the substrate and including a via pattern defining the location and configuration of at least two closely-spaced channel vias on said beam;
- vertically etching through said trench pattern to produce in said substrate trenches having vertical sidewalls, the sidewalls defining the sides of said at least one beam to be released from the substrate, and vertically etching through said via pattern to produce access ports in the beam;
- providing mask layers on the sidewalls of said at least one beam;
- etching the beam through said access ports to form a channel in the beam between the mask layers on the beam sidewalls;
- and
- further etching the trenches to undercut and release the beam from the substrate.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.