WO2020021992A1

WO2020021992A1 - Microchannel device and manufacturing method for microchannel devices

Info

Publication number: WO2020021992A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/026250
Authority: WO
Inventors: 幸雄小沢; 高史山田; 知大久保; まどか綾野; 知之金岩
Original assignee: フコク物産株式会社; 株式会社ＴＬＧｅｎｏｍｉｃｓ
Priority date: 2018-07-24
Filing date: 2019-07-02
Publication date: 2020-01-30

Abstract

Provided is a microchannel device wherein two bonded substrates do not bend or warp even if stress is generated on a portion of a substrate during a step of bonding the two substrates, and the substrates can be bonded quickly even if a lubricant is used to facilitate sliding between the substrates. A recessed groove or a slit is formed on the bonding face of either or both of a first bonding area on the surface of a first resin substrate and a second bonding area of a second resin substrate opposite to the first bonding area in the direction of layering, wherein the substrates are to be bonded together. Because stress is not transmitted beyond the recessed groove or slit even if stress is generated due to the bonding step on a portion of the bonding face, the entire first resin substrate and the entire second resin substrate that are bonded together do not bend and are retained to be flat. Furthermore, because a lubricant interspersed between the two bonding faces of the substrates flows into the permeable recessed groove and does not remain on the bonding face, the bonding faces can be bonded quickly.

Description

Microchannel device and method of manufacturing microchannel device

{Circle over (1)} The present invention relates to a microchannel device and a method for manufacturing a microchannel device, in which two opposing bonding surfaces of two stacked substrates are joined to form a microchannel therebetween.

A microchannel device is a device in which a fine microchannel having a width of about 500 nm to 1 mm is formed between two stacked substrates, and a minute amount of an organic compound, a biological sample, or the like is injected from an injection hole communicating with the microchannel. Is used for applications such as injecting a sample into a microchannel and mixing, reacting, synthesizing, extracting, and analyzing the sample.

The shape and size of the microchannel are manufactured with high precision so as not to affect the judgment of these applications for the sample to be injected into the microchannel.However, when bonding between the bonding surfaces of the substrates, bubbles are generated. There is a problem that the two bonded substrates are curved and the micro flow path is also deformed due to the remaining or the influence of heat bonding or shrinkage of the adhesive.

Further, the shape and number of the microchannels formed between the two stacked substrates are arbitrarily designed according to the use of the microchannel device, but are restricted within a two-dimensional plane between the substrates. Therefore, in recent years, a plurality of microchannel chips each having a microchannel formed between two substrates to be stacked are stacked in multiple layers in the stacking direction, and the microchannels of the microchannel chips stacked in the stacking direction are stacked. Are connected via a through-hole penetrating the substrate in the stacking direction, and a microchannel device that forms a microchannel in a three-dimensional three-dimensional shape is being studied.

In this microchannel device, even if the substrate constituting each microchannel chip is slightly curved, the displacement that is curved by stacking in multiple stages is accumulated and greatly curved as a whole, or the microchannel is formed along a horizontal plane. It has been difficult to stack chips in multiple stages.

Therefore, there have been proposed various methods for preventing a substrate on which a micro flow path is formed and a method for forming a micro flow path between bonding surfaces to prevent a curved or warped substrate to be laminated. Of these, the microchannel device of Patent Document 1 volatilizes air remaining on the bonding surface by interposing a volatile liquid that does not dissolve the substrate on the bonding surface of the two substrates to be laminated, and then removes the volatile liquid. The substrates thus formed are brought into close contact with each other and joined by heating and pressing. Therefore, the substrates to be bonded are not bent by bubbles remaining between the bonding surfaces.

Further, the microchannel device of Patent Literature 2 forms a microprojection around the bonding surface of one substrate along the microchannel, and ultrasonically welds between the microprojection portion and the opposing bonding surface. Join. Thereby, even if air remains between the opposed joining surfaces of the two substrates, the joining is performed at the minute projections, so that deformation of the microchannel and warping of the substrate due to the remaining bubbles can be prevented.

マイクロ In addition, in the microchannel device of Patent Document 3, a dummy channel not used as a microchannel is formed on a part of the joint surface where the microchannel is not formed. Since the dummy flow path is formed on the joint surface, the mold is easily released from the molding die, and the substrate is prevented from warping at the time of release.

Further, in the microchannel device of Patent Document 4, the variable temperature of the first substrate is made of a material higher than the variable temperature of the second substrate, and the stacked first and second substrates are heated and deformed between their respective heating deformation temperatures. To be curved so that the other bonding surface follows and adheres to one of the curved bonding surfaces.

Further, in the micro-channel device of Patent Document 5, a protrusion is formed on a side surface of a substrate so as to protrude laterally from a bonding surface of a substrate to which a resin film is bonded, and the resin film is bonded to the bonding surface of the substrate by heating. Then, the protrusion is pressed down with a jig to suppress the warpage of the substrate.

JP 2005-186033 A JP 2005-224688 A JP 2007-289818 A JP 2018-9924 A International Publication WO2009 / 125575

In the microchannel device of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to attach a volatile liquid to a bonding surface before bonding between substrates, and when a part of the substrate is deformed, a gap due to the deformation is required. Air cannot be removed. In addition, the microchannel device of Patent Document 2 has a low bonding strength because it is bonded only at the small protrusions. Further, both of the microchannel devices described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are attached to the substrate itself. It does not prevent bending or warpage due to the occurrence of stress. If a part of the substrate is curved, the sample injected into the microchannel may leak from a gap between the bonding surfaces of the substrates.

Further, in Patent Literature 3, although the causal relationship between the formation of the dummy flow path and the ease with which the mold is released from the mold and the prevention of the warpage of the substrate is not always clear, many dummy flow paths are identical. Since they are formed only in the directions, it is not possible to prevent bubbles remaining between the bonding surfaces of the substrates and the substrate from being curved or warped which may be generated in each direction due to stress generated in the substrates in the bonding process.

In addition, the micro-channel device of Patent Document 4 has a restriction that the materials of the two substrates to be bonded have different heating deformation temperatures, and the other substrate is combined with the deformed one substrate. The microchannel is formed along a curved substrate, and in the microchannel device of Patent Document 5, it is necessary to provide protrusions on four side surfaces of the substrate in order to prevent warpage in each direction of the substrate. In addition, since a jig for maintaining the substrate on a flat surface is required in the process of bonding the substrates, none of them is practical.

Further, before joining the two substrates, a lubricating liquid is interposed between the opposed joining surfaces of the two substrates to facilitate sliding between the two substrates, and the two substrates are relatively positioned. However, the joining cannot be performed until the lubricating liquid evaporates, which causes a reduction in production throughput.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such a conventional problem, and air bubbles remain between bonding surfaces of two substrates, or a stress is applied to a part of the substrate in a process of bonding the substrates. It is an object of the present invention to provide a micro flow path device in which two or more joined multi-stage flow path substrates do not bend or warp even if the occurrence of a crack occurs.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a microchannel device capable of maintaining the planarity of two bonded substrates by simply performing a simple process on one of the two substrates to be laminated.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a microchannel device and a method for manufacturing a microchannel device that can perform a bonding process in a short time even when positioning between two substrates to be bonded using a lubricating liquid. I do.

In order to achieve the above object, the microchannel device according to claim 1 is laminated on a flat first resin substrate having a microchannel formed in a surface thereof, and on a surface of the first resin substrate. A first bonding region provided with a second resin substrate and excluding a portion of the surface of the first resin substrate where the micro flow channel is recessed; and a second bonding region of the second resin substrate facing the first bonding region in the stacking direction. Is a microchannel device that is integrally joined,
A stress relief portion formed of a concave groove or a slit is formed in a lattice pattern on one or both of the first and second joining regions.

A bubble may remain between the joining surfaces of the first joining region and the second joining region, or the first joining region may be joined to the first joining region due to a step of joining the joining surfaces of the first joining region and the second joining region. Even if a stress is generated along the bonding surface in a part of the second bonding region, the strain due to the stress is absorbed in the stress relaxation portion formed of the concave groove or the slit formed in the bonding surface, and the partially generated stress is reduced. Therefore, the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate to be joined are not entirely curved or warped.

Since the stress relieving portion is formed in a lattice shape on the joining surface, even if stress in any direction is generated along the joining surface, the stress is not transmitted over the stress relieving portion, and the first resin substrate to be joined is The second resin substrate does not bend in any direction.

In the micro flow path device according to claim 2, the first resin substrate or the second resin substrate having the stress relief portion formed on the bonding surface is formed of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), and the first bonding region and the second bonding region are formed. The surface of both bonding surfaces of the bonding region is modified so that the first bonding region and the second bonding region are integrally bonded.

Since at least one of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate to be bonded is molded with PDMS which is an elastomer, even if there is a slight curved portion in one bonding region, it is in close contact with the other opposing bonding region, The surface can be reformed and joined evenly.

(4) Since the stress relaxation portion is formed on the first resin substrate or the second resin substrate formed of PDMS, which is an elastomer, the stress relaxation portion absorbs a large expansion and contraction displacement along the bonding surface.

Further, since either the first resin substrate or the second resin substrate surrounding the microchannel is molded using PDMS which is a translucent or transparent material as a molding material, the color and amount of the sample injected into the microchannel are determined. It can be confirmed visually.

In the micro flow path device according to claim 3, the first resin substrate is molded using PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) as a molding material, and the stress relieving portion is formed by a concave groove formed on a joint surface of the first joint region. It is characterized by becoming.

Since the stress relieving portion is formed on the same surface as the surface of the first resin substrate in which the micro flow channel is recessed, the lattice-shaped stress relieving portion can be formed simply by processing the molding surface of the mold that forms the micro flow channel. Is formed.

Since the first resin substrate on which the micro flow path and the stress relieving portion are formed is molded using PDMS having excellent transferability to the molding surface of the mold, the fine micro flow path and the stress relieving portion can be increased. It can be formed on the bonding surface of the first bonding region with high accuracy.

The microchannel device according to claim 4 is characterized in that the microchannel and the concave groove have the same depth from the bonding surface of the first bonding region.

(4) A mold having protrusions of the same height for forming a microchannel and a concave groove can be easily obtained by resist etching or electroforming by photolithography.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the micro flow path device, the stress relieving portion is formed of a concave groove opened on a side surface of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate to be joined.

Bubbles left between the first and second bonding regions when they are bonded are discharged to the outside from the opening of the concave groove through the peripheral groove, and between the bonding surfaces of the first and second bonding regions. No stress is generated due to the compression of the remaining bubbles.

In the micro flow path device according to claim 6, a plurality of micro flow path chips each formed by laminating a first resin substrate and a second resin substrate are laminated in multiple layers in a laminating direction and are integrally joined to form a multi-layer chip. The microchannels formed in each of the stacked microchannel chips communicate with each other through through-holes penetrating the first resin substrate or the second resin substrate in the stacking direction, and the microchannels opposed in the stacking direction. A stress relief portion formed of a concave groove or a slit is formed in a lattice shape on one or both of the bonding surfaces of the first bonding region and the second bonding region of the chip.

Microchannel chips in which microchannels are formed between the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate are stacked in multiple stages, and the microchannels formed in each microchannel chip communicate with each other through through holes. Therefore, a microchannel can be formed in a three-dimensional three-dimensional shape.

The stress generated partially on the bonding surface of each of the microchannel chips stacked in multiple stages is not transmitted beyond the stress relaxation portion, and the entire microchannel chips to be bonded are not curved or warped, so that the microchannel chips are stacked in multiple stages. Each microchannel can be formed along a horizontal plane even if the microchannels can be stacked.

The microchannel device according to claim 7, further comprising: a first resin substrate having a flat plate shape with a microchannel formed in the surface thereof, and a second resin substrate laminated on the surface of the first resin substrate. A micro flow in which a first joining region excluding a portion where a micro flow path is recessed on the surface of one resin substrate and a second joining region of a second resin substrate facing the first joining region in the laminating direction are integrally joined. A road device,
A large number of concave grooves are formed on one or both of the first bonding region and the second bonding region, and are formed on the side surfaces of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate. And

Even before the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate are joined, lubricating liquid may be interposed between opposed joining surfaces of the two substrates to facilitate sliding between the two substrates and to perform relative positioning. The lubricating liquid flows into the groove and does not remain on the joint surface, and is vaporized early in the groove that opens to the outside and vents.

A groove is formed along the joining surface due to bubbles remaining between the joining surfaces of the first joining region and the second joining region or due to the step of joining the joining surfaces of the first joining region and the second joining region. When a stress is generated in a direction crossing the direction, the stress due to the stress is absorbed by the groove, is not transmitted through the groove, and the curvature of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate to be joined is reduced.

9. The micro flow path device according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate is formed of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), and the bonding surfaces of both the first bonding region and the second bonding region. Is characterized in that the first bonding region and the second bonding region are integrally bonded.

The lubricating liquid is interposed between the joining surfaces of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate that adhere to each other due to the self-adsorption property of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), thereby facilitating sliding between the two substrates and relative positioning. Can be. The lubricating liquid interposed between the joining surfaces flows into the groove and does not remain on the joining surface, and is vaporized early in the groove that opens to the outside and vents.

In the micro flow path device according to claim 9, the concave groove is formed on the bonding surface of the first bonding region, and the micro channel and the concave groove have the same depth from the bonding surface of the first bonding region. It is characterized by.

In the micro flow path device according to claim 10, a plurality of micro flow path chips formed by laminating a first resin substrate and a second resin substrate, respectively, are stacked in multiple layers in a stacking direction and are integrally joined to form a multi-layer chip. The microchannels formed in each of the stacked microchannel chips communicate with each other through through-holes penetrating the first resin substrate or the second resin substrate in the stacking direction, and the microchannels opposed in the stacking direction. A large number of concave grooves are formed on one or both bonding surfaces of the first bonding region and the second bonding region of the chip, and are formed on the side surfaces of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate to be bonded. To be

A lubricating liquid is interposed between the opposing joint surfaces of the two substrates of each of the microchannel chips stacked in multiple stages, and a plurality of microchannels are stacked so that all microchannels communicate with each other through through holes. Even when the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate are simultaneously slid and positioned relative to each other, the lubricating liquid does not flow into the concave grooves formed on the respective joint surfaces and does not remain on the joint surfaces. Vaporizes early in the vented vent.

A method of manufacturing a microchannel device according to claim 11 is a method of manufacturing a microchannel device according to claim 7, comprising a first bonding region of a first resin substrate. A surface having a second bonding region, a facing surface facing the surface of the second resin substrate in the stacking direction being modified, and a modified surface of the first resin substrate and a facing surface of the second resin substrate. Is covered with a lubricating liquid, and the surface of the first resin substrate and the opposing surface of the second resin substrate are brought into close contact with each other and positioned through the lubricating liquid, so that the groove does not vaporize the lubricating liquid or After being vaporized and discharged from the opening, the surface of the first resin substrate and the opposing surface of the second resin substrate lose their lubricating liquid and join with each other at the same time. And maintain the deformed state Characterized by in maintaining relaxed state of stress.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if air bubbles remain between the two resin substrates to be bonded, or if stress is generated in a part of the bonding surface in the step of bonding the bonding surfaces of the resin substrates, Since the stress is not transmitted beyond the stress relief portion formed in a lattice shape on the joining surface, the two joined resin substrates can be flattened. Therefore, the micro flow path formed between the two resin substrates can be formed with high precision without a part of the micro flow path being inclined or the inner diameter being unchanged.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate to be bonded is formed of PDMS which is an elastomer, so that a large stress is partially applied to the first bonding region or the second bonding region. , The entire first bonding region and the second bonding region to be bonded can be kept flat.

In addition, since the joining surfaces of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate to be joined are surface-modified and joined, the first joining region and the second joining region are uniformly joined together, and the first joining region and the second joining region are joined together. The sample injected into the microchannel does not leak out from the gap in the joining region.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the lattice-shaped stress relaxation portion can be formed only by processing the molding surface of the mold for forming the microchannel.

Furthermore, a fine micro flow path and a stress relaxation portion can be formed on the joint surface with high precision.

According to the fourth and ninth aspects of the present invention, the microchannel and the concave groove of the lattice-shaped stress relief portion are formed by an electroforming mold capable of high-precision molding or a resist etching mold by photolithography technology. can do.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, no bubbles remain between the joining surfaces of the first joining region and the second joining region to be joined, and no stress is generated on the joining surface due to the compression of the remaining bubbles.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the micro-channel chips in which the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate are laminated are stacked in multiple stages, and the micro-channel can be designed in a three-dimensional shape. Even if they are overlapped, the microchannel of each microchannel chip is formed along the horizontal plane.

According to the seventh and eleventh aspects of the present invention, in order to reduce the friction between the joining surfaces between the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate and to facilitate relative positioning between the two substrates, the joining surfaces are formed. Even if lubricating liquid is interposed, the lubricating liquid is vaporized at an early stage or stored in the concave groove and does not remain on the joining surface, so that the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate can be joined early after relative positioning. .

Further, even if air bubbles remain between the two resin substrates to be bonded, or if stress is generated in a part of the bonding surface in the step of bonding the bonding surfaces of the resin substrates, a concave groove formed in the bonding surface. , And no strain due to stress is transmitted, so that the two bonded resin substrates can be made nearly flat.

According to the invention of claim 8, at least one of the joining surfaces is a PDMS having a self-adsorbing property. Since the lubricating liquid does not remain between the joint surfaces after the positioning, it is possible to early join the surface-modified joint surfaces.

Further, since at least one of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate to be bonded is formed of PDMS which is an elastomer, the bonding is performed even when a large stress is partially generated in the first bonding region or the second bonding region. The entire first bonding region and the second bonding region can be kept flat.

In addition, since the bonding surface of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate is surface-modified and bonded, the first bonding region and the second bonding region are evenly and integrally bonded, and the first bonding region and the second bonding region. The sample injected into the microchannel does not leak out from the gap.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, even if the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate of each of the micro-channel chips stacked in multiple stages are slid simultaneously and relatively positioned using the lubricating liquid, the lubricating liquid is not All of the microchannel chips stacked in multiple stages can be integrally joined at an early stage without remaining between the joining surfaces.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the microchannel device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the microchannel device 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a molded sheet 10 including a base sheet 2. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a base sheet 2 in which a stress relaxation portion including a microchannel 5 and a lattice-shaped concave groove 4 is recessed. FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 5. 6A and 6B show a manufacturing process of a mold for forming the base sheet 2 shown in FIG. 6, wherein FIG. 6A shows a process of attaching a photoresist 11 on a substrate 13 having high smoothness, and FIG. (C) shows the step of electrodepositing the metal plate 14 and the metal protrusion 14a along the surface of the photoresist 11 patterned on the base material 13 by electroforming; 4) is a vertical sectional view of a relevant part showing a step of removing the photoresist 11 and polishing the end surface of the electroformed metal projection 14a to form a molding surface of the mold 12, respectively. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a microchannel device 20 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the microchannel device 20. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which one joining surface of the first joining region 2 A and the second joining region 3 A in which the concave groove 4 is recessed and the other joining surface in which the ridge 8 projects. is there. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a microchannel device 30 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a base sheet 32 of a microchannel device 30 in which a microchannel 5 and a concave groove 31 are formed. FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a microchannel device 40 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the microchannel device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The micro flow path device 1 is composed of a base sheet 2 and a cover sheet 3 which are two resin substrates to be laminated, and the micro flow path formed between the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 3 is formed by laminating the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 3. A small amount of a sample, such as an organic compound or a biological sample, is injected into the microchannel 5, and the sample injected into the microchannel 5 is used for mixing, reacting, synthesizing, extracting, separating, or analyzing.

The base sheet 2 is entirely formed into a thin flat plate by injection molding using an electroforming mold, which will be described later, using PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) as a molding material, and as shown in FIGS. On the surface (the surface facing the cover sheet 3), there are formed a concave portion 5a forming a microchannel 5 having a width and a depth of 500 nm to 1 mm, and a large number of concave grooves 4 serving as stress relaxation portions having the same depth as the concave portion 5a. Is formed. The length, shape, and number of the concave portions 5a forming the microchannel 5 are arbitrarily designed according to the use of the microchannel device 1. One end of the concave portion 5a is formed in an injection hole 6 or a discharge hole 7 described later. It has a cylindrical shape with an inner diameter longer than the width of the concave portion 5a in order to communicate with the micro flow channel 5. In addition, the plurality of concave grooves 4 serving as stress relaxation portions are formed by a plurality of concave grooves 4 extending in two orthogonal directions, excluding a portion where a concave portion 5 a forming a microchannel 5 on the surface of the base sheet 2 is formed. The entire area of the joining region 2A is formed so as to intersect with each other in a lattice shape.

Since the molding material for molding the base sheet 2 with the mold is PDMS having a high fluidity in the mold, the transferability to the molding surface of the mold is excellent, and the concave portion 5a for forming the minute microchannel 5 and The concave groove 4 can be formed on the surface of the base sheet 2 with high accuracy.

In the present embodiment, since the concave portion 5a forming the micro flow channel 5 recessed on the surface of the base sheet 2 and the concave groove 4 serving as the stress relaxation portion have the same depth, the fine micro flow channel 5 is formed. The base sheet 2 can be injection-molded by using an electroformed mold 12 capable of forming the concave portion 5a and the concave groove 4 with high precision. Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the electroformed mold 12 for forming the base sheet 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7A shows a process in which a thin-film photoresist 11 is applied to the surface of a highly smooth substrate 13 such as a silicon wafer or a glass substrate by spin coating or the like. The depth is the same as the depth of the concave portion 5a and the concave groove 4 forming the flow path 5.

Subsequently, the molded portion 11a of the concave portion 5a and the molded portion 11b of the concave groove 4 forming the micro flow path 5 of the photoresist 11 are exposed through a photomask, and the exposed portion is removed by etching and patterned. As shown in (b), a base material 13 such as a silicon wafer or a glass substrate is exposed to the patterned forming

portions

11a and 11b.

Although the resist etching mold obtained here has the same shape as the base sheet 2 to be formed as shown in the figure, the forming portion 11 a of the concave portion 5 a forming the micro flow path 5 of the photoresist 11 and the concave portion 4 If the portion other than the molded portion 11b is exposed through a photomask, and the exposed portion is removed by etching and patterned, a base sheet 2 to be molded and an inverted resist etching mold can be obtained. Can be used as a molding die to form the base sheet 2.

Then, a nickel electroforming process is performed on the resist etching mold of FIG. 7B in which the photoresist 11 has been patterned, and a molding portion where the nickel metal plate 14 and the base material 13 are exposed along the surface of the niresist etching mold. The metal protrusions 14a are electrodeposited on the

portions

11a and 11b (FIG. 7 (c)). The metal protrusions 14a formed by the electroforming process serve as molding surfaces for forming the concave portions 5a and the concave grooves 4 forming the microchannels 5, respectively, and thus have the same height as the depths of the concave portions 5a and the concave grooves 4. Becomes

After the metal plate 14 and the metal protrusion 14a are formed by electroforming, the metal plate 14 and the metal protrusion 14a are peeled off from the base material 13 having high smoothness, and the remaining photoresist 11 around the metal plate 14 is removed. The end face of the portion 14a is polished to obtain a mold cavity 12 for molding the base sheet 2 shown in FIG. 7D.

The cavity 12 of the mold manufactured in the process shown in FIG. 7 has a groove on the entire molding surface including the contour of the base sheet 2 except for the molding portion 11 a of the concave portion 5 a forming the micro flow path 5. The metal protrusions 14a forming the protrusions 4 are provided in a lattice shape. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the molded sheet 10 obtained by injection molding PDMS between the core of the mold and the cavity 12 has a concave portion 5a for forming the microchannel 5 and a concave portion. Grooves 4 are formed in a lattice pattern in the remaining area around the periphery.

The base sheet 2 is manufactured by cutting the molded sheet 10 shown in FIG. 3 along the contour of the base sheet 2 shown by the broken line in the figure. Appears.

The cover sheet 3 laminated on the surface of the base sheet 2 is also entirely formed into a flat plate having the same contour as the base sheet 2 by injection molding using a mold with PDMS as a molding material. An injection hole 6 for injecting the sample into the micro flow channel 5 and a discharge hole 7 for discharging the sample from the micro flow channel 5 are formed in accordance with the position of each end of the concave portion 5a.

As described above, the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 3 are both formed by injection molding. However, if the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 3 can be mass-produced using a mold, the flow number, the type of PDMS, the base sheet 2 and the cover According to the shape of the sheet 3, it can be molded by various molding methods such as transfer molding and compression molding as appropriate.

The base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 3, which are two resin substrates, are not limited as long as they are made of resin, but the transparent or translucent heat of PDMS or the like is used to absorb a large strain in the stress relaxation portion. It is preferable to form with a plastic elastomer.

The base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 3 manufactured in this manner include a first bonding region 2A on the front surface of the base sheet 2 and a second bonding region 3A on the back surface of the cover sheet 3 facing the first bonding region 2A. After performing a plasma treatment to irradiate each with a plasma, the surfaces of the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 3 are stacked so as to have the same contour, and all of the opposing first joining regions except the lattice-shaped grooves 4 are stacked. With the opposing surfaces of the 2A and the second joining region 3A as joining surfaces, the joining surfaces are closely contacted without gaps, whereby the first joining region 2A and the second joining region 3A are integrated and strongly joined.

Here, when the bonding surfaces of the first bonding region 2A and the second bonding region 3A are brought into close contact with each other, the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 3 are laminated with the concave grooves 4 formed in a lattice shape in the first bonding region 2A. Since the opening is provided on the side surface, even if air bubbles are left between the bonding surfaces of the first bonding region 2A of the base sheet 2 and the second bonding region 3A of the cover sheet 3, they remain in the process of bringing both bonding surfaces into close contact. The air bubbles are discharged to the outside through the concave grooves 4 formed around the air bubbles.

In the process of bringing the surface-modified bonding surfaces into close contact with each other and integrating them, the surface-modifying reaction does not progress uniformly over the entire bonding surface of the first bonding region 2A and the second bonding region 3A, and a part of the reaction does not proceed. For example, due to the fact that the peripheries are integrally joined after shrinkage, residual stress along the joining surface may occur in a part of the first joining region 2A and the second joining region 3A to be joined. However, regardless of the direction of the residual stress along the joint surface, the distortion along the joint surface caused by the residual stress is caused by the fact that the width of the concave groove 4 which is a stress relaxation portion formed around the joint is reduced. As a result, the residual stress is not transmitted over the groove 4. As a result, the first joining region 2A and the second joining region 3A to be joined are not curved, and the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 3 are integrally laminated while maintaining flatness.

In addition, since no air bubbles remain between the bonding surfaces of the first bonding region 2A and the second bonding region 3A, which are surface-modified and integrally bonded, the remaining air bubbles cause the first bonding region 2A and the second bonding region. 3A does not bend.

The plasma processing for irradiating the plasma to the bonding surface between the first bonding area 2A and the second bonding area 3A may be either vacuum plasma processing or atmospheric pressure plasma processing. In addition to the plasma treatment, a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) treatment of irradiating the joint surface with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) from an excimer lamp, a corona discharge treatment, or the like may be used as the treatment.

By laminating the cover sheet 3 having the same contour on the surface of the base sheet 2, the concave portion 5 a of the base sheet 2 is covered with the cover sheet 3, and the micro channel 5 sealed to the outside is formed. As shown in FIG. 2, the microchannel 5 is opened on the surface of the cover sheet 3 through an injection hole 6 and a discharge hole 7 communicating with each end of the cylindrical concave portion 5a. The microchannel device 10 for injecting the sample into the microchannel 5 and discharging the sample injected from the outlet 7 into the microchannel 5 is manufactured.

Since the microchannel device 1 is manufactured flat, the microchannel 5 does not bend or change its inner diameter, and allows the sample to pass through the microchannel 5 supported along a horizontal plane. Can be.

Next, a microchannel device 30 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the description of the second embodiment, since the shape of the concave groove 31 formed in the first joining region 32A of the base sheet 32 is different from the above-described micro flow path device 1, the micro flow path device 1 Components having the same or similar functions as those described in the above are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The microchannel device 30 is composed of two base sheets 32 and a cover sheet 3 molded using PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) as a molding material, and the surface of the base sheet 32 (the surface facing the cover sheet 3). In addition, a plurality of concave grooves 31 having the same depth as the concave portion 5a are formed in the entirety of the concave portion 5a forming the microchannel 5 having a width and a depth of 500 nm to 1 mm and the first joining region 32A excluding the portion where the concave portion 5a is formed. Are formed evenly.

Unlike the grooves 4 according to the first embodiment, the large number of grooves 31 do not necessarily have to be formed in a lattice shape, and one end thereof reaches the edge of the base sheet 32, and the joined base sheet 32 and cover sheet The shape can be any desired shape as long as it is open on the side surface of No. 3, and here, as shown in FIG. 12, it is formed along a horizontal line parallel to each other and a vertical line perpendicular to the horizontal line.

In the step of laminating the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 32 and joining them together, the first joining region 2A on the front surface of the base sheet 2 and the second joining region on the back surface of the cover sheet 32 facing the first joining region 32A. 32A is subjected to a plasma treatment for irradiating plasma to each of the surfaces, and the surface is modified. Thereafter, the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 32 are laminated, and the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 32 are relatively slid along the lamination surface so that their contours match. Position. In this positioning step, since the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 32 are formed of PDMS having self-adsorption, they are in close contact with each other and cannot slide along the laminated surface.

Then, the surface-modified base sheet 2 and cover sheet 32 are immersed in a lubricating liquid such as ultrapure water, methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol or the like, which does not affect PDMS and does not have impurities remaining on the laminated surface, and are joined. These lubricating liquids are interposed between the first joint region 2A and the second joint region 32A, and the relative positioning of the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 32 along the joint surface is facilitated.

While the space between the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 32 relatively slides, the lubricating liquid interposed between the joint surfaces where the first joint region 2A and the second joint region 32A face each other flows into the groove 31. The surface-modified first bonding region 2A and second bonding region 32A do not remain on the opposing bonding surfaces. Further, the lubricating liquid that is communicated with the outside and stays in the permeable groove 31 evaporates and disappears in a short time.

(4) As a result, the first bonding region 2A and the second bonding region 32A whose surfaces have been modified are brought into direct contact with each other, so that the bonding is performed early after relative positioning.

Next, the microchannel device 20 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Also in the description of the third embodiment, components having the same or similar functions as those of the configuration of the microchannel device 1 according to the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. I do.

As shown in FIG. 8, the microchannel device 20 includes

microchannel chips

21 and 22 stacked in two layers, and the microchannel chips 21 and 22 are respectively connected to the first bonding of the base sheet 2. The joint surface between the region 2A and the second joint region 3A of the cover sheet 3 is surface-modified and integrally joined. Furthermore, the opposing surfaces of the microchannel chips 21 and 22 facing each other in the stacking direction, that is, the bonding surface between the back surface of the base sheet 2 of the microchannel chip 21 and the surface of the cover sheet 3 of the microchannel chip 22 are also surface-modified. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the four

sheets

2 and 3 are laminated in a state where they are integrally joined to each other.

At least one of the back surface of the microchannel chip 21 and the surface of the microchannel chip 22 to be joined, here, the surface of the cover sheet 3 of the microchannel chip 22 is also provided with a large number of concave grooves 4 serving as stress relaxation portions. Grids are formed evenly on the entire surface except for a portion where a through hole 25B described later is formed. Therefore, even when the back surface of the micro flow channel chip 21 and the surface of the micro flow channel chip 22 facing each other in the stacking direction are surface-modified and joined together, the micro

flow channel chips

21 and 22 are curved or warped. And the whole can be laminated along a flat surface.

The

microchannels

23 and 24 formed between the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 3 of each

microchannel chip

21 and 22 are formed in a desired arbitrary shape, and the microchannel chips 21 and 22 are stacked. As shown by the broken line in FIG. 9, through holes 25A formed in the base sheet 2 of the upper microchannel chip 21 in the stacking direction and the cover sheet 3 of the lower microchannel chip 22 in the stacking direction. They communicate with each other via a through hole 25B. Since the communicating positions for communicating the

micro channels

23 and 24 with the through

holes

25A and 25B can be arbitrarily designed, a desired micro channel can be designed in a three-dimensional shape by the

micro channels

23 and 24 and the through

holes

25A and 25B.

According to the present embodiment, even when a large number of base sheets 2 and cover sheets 3 are stacked, a large number of concave grooves 4 serving as stress relaxation portions are provided in a lattice shape on any of the joint surfaces facing each other in the laminating direction. Therefore, the individual base sheet 2 and cover sheet 3 are not curved or warped, and are formed entirely along a flat surface. Therefore, by supporting the microchannel device 20 horizontally, the

microchannels

23 and 24 of each of the microchannel chips 21 and 22 are also supported horizontally without being inclined, and the sample can flow as designed. it can.

In the micro flow path device 20 according to the third embodiment, the cover sheet 3 of the lower micro flow path chip 21 is omitted, and the back surface of the base sheet 2 constituting the upper micro flow path chip 21; If the first joining region 2A on the surface of the base sheet 2 constituting the lower microchannel chip 21 is integrally joined, the through-holes can be formed simply by laminating the three resin substrates including the base sheet 2 and the cover sheet 3. The micro flow channel 23 of the micro flow channel chip 21 and the micro flow channel 24 of the micro flow channel chip 22 communicating with each other at 25A can be formed.

The grooves 4 formed in the base sheet 2 of the microchannel device 20 according to the third embodiment are also necessarily formed in a lattice shape like the grooves 41 of the microchannel device 40 shown in FIG. It is not necessary, and if one end reaches the edge of the base sheet 32 and opens to the side surfaces of the joined base sheet 2 and cover sheet 3, it can be formed along any shape including a curve.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the concave groove 4 and the

concave grooves

31 and 41 serving as the stress relieving portions have a rectangular vertical cross-section, but may have any shape. As shown in FIG. 10, the second bonding region 3 A or the first bonding region opposing the groove 4 formed on one of the bonding surfaces of the first bonding region 2 A or the second bonding region 3 A. A ridge 8 that fits loosely into the groove 4 when they are joined may be integrally provided from the joint surface of 2A. In this manner, if the ridges 8 that do not restrict the deformation of the stress relaxation portion are provided so as to protrude from the joint surface of the opposing second joining region 3A or the first joining region 2A, the laminating direction in the longitudinal section of the portion of the ridge 8 The second moment of area (in the vertical direction in the figure) increases, and the ridge 8 is projected and hardly curved at the portion, so that the second joining region 3A or the first joining region 2A on the mating side to be joined is also flat. be able to.

In addition, although the groove 4 formed in the joint surface is used as the stress relieving portion, when the stress generated along the joint surface is mainly a compressive stress, a slit formed in a lattice shape on the joint surface is stress relieved. It can also be a part. Such a slit is formed, for example, by pushing a lattice-like Thomson blade into the thickness of the

sheets

2 and 3 from the joint surface of the first joint region 2A or the second joint region 3A. Since the slit formed by the cutting blade can be formed deeper inside the joint surface than the concave groove 4 having a depth of about 20 μm formed by an electroforming mold, the stress can be more effectively transmitted at the stress relieving portion. Can be shut off.

As described above, the concave groove 4 or the slit or the

concave groove

31 or 41 for promoting the vaporization of the lubricating liquid, which is the stress relaxing portion formed on the joint surface of the first joint region 2A or the second joint region 3A, forms the microchannel 5. It is preferable to form evenly by approaching the limit not to contact the concave portion 5a to be formed.

Furthermore, the stress relief portions or the

grooves

31 and 41 formed of the grooves 4 or the slits may be formed on any of the opposing first bonding region 2A and the second bonding region 3A. It may be formed on each joining surface of the region 2A and the second joining region 3A. On the other hand, the stress relaxation portion does not necessarily need to be formed evenly over the entire surface of the first bonding region 2A or the second bonding region 3A, but is formed only at a portion where bending or warping is likely to occur due to bonding or at a portion where the bending or warpage is to be eliminated. May be.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the joining surfaces of the first joining region 2A of the base sheet 2 and the second joining region 3A of the cover sheet 3 are surface-modified and integrally joined. The joining surfaces may be joined by other joining methods, such as bonding between surfaces or joining by ultrasonic welding.

。Suitable for a microchannel device in which two laminated resin substrates are integrally joined and a microchannel is formed therebetween.

1 Microchannel device 2 Base sheet (first resin substrate)
2A First bonding area 3 Cover sheet (second resin substrate)
3A 2nd joint area 4 concave groove (stress relaxation part)
5 Micro flow channel 20 Micro

flow channel device

21, 22 Micro

flow channel chip

23, 24

Micro flow channel

31, 41 Groove

Claims

A flat first resin substrate having a microchannel formed in the surface thereof,
A second resin substrate laminated on a surface of the first resin substrate;
The first joining region excluding the portion where the micro flow path is recessed on the surface of the first resin substrate, and the second joining region of the second resin substrate facing the first joining region in the laminating direction are integrally joined. A microchannel device,
A micro flow path device, wherein a stress relief portion formed of a concave groove or a slit is formed in a lattice shape on one or both of the first bonding region and the second bonding region.
The first resin substrate or the second resin substrate having the stress relaxation portion formed on the bonding surface is formed of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), and the surface of both the first bonding region and the second bonding region is surface-modified. The microchannel device according to claim 1, wherein the first bonding region and the second bonding region are integrally bonded.
The first resin substrate is molded using PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) as a molding material, and the stress relieving portion is formed of a groove formed on a joint surface of the first joint region. Item 3. The microchannel device according to any one of items 2.
The microchannel device according to claim 3, wherein the depth of the microchannel and the groove from the bonding surface of the first bonding region is the same.
The microchannel device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the stress relieving portion comprises a concave groove opened on a side surface of the first resin substrate and a side surface of the second resin substrate. .
A plurality of microchannel chips each formed by laminating a first resin substrate and a second resin substrate are stacked in multiple layers in the stacking direction and integrally joined, and formed on each of the microchannel chips stacked in multiple layers. The micro flow paths communicate with each other through a through-hole penetrating the first resin substrate or the second resin substrate in the laminating direction, and the first bonding area of the micro flow path chip and the second bonding area facing each other in the laminating direction. The micro flow according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a stress relief portion formed of a concave groove or a slit is formed in a lattice shape on one or both of the joining surfaces of the joining region. Road device.
A flat first resin substrate having a microchannel formed in the surface thereof,
A second resin substrate laminated on a surface of the first resin substrate;
The first joining region excluding the portion where the micro flow path is recessed on the surface of the first resin substrate, and the second joining region of the second resin substrate facing the first joining region in the laminating direction are integrally joined. A microchannel device,
A large number of concave grooves are formed on one or both of the first bonding region and the second bonding region, and are formed on the side surfaces of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate. A microchannel device.
At least one of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate is formed of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), and the surfaces of both the first bonding region and the second bonding region are surface-modified to form the first bonding region and the first bonding region. The microchannel device according to claim 7, wherein the second bonding region is integrally bonded.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the groove is formed on a bonding surface of a first bonding region, and a depth of the microchannel and the groove from the bonding surface of the first bonding region is the same. The microchannel device according to any one of the preceding claims.
A plurality of microchannel chips each formed by laminating a first resin substrate and a second resin substrate are stacked in multiple layers in the stacking direction and integrally joined, and formed on each of the microchannel chips stacked in multiple layers. The micro flow paths communicate with each other through a through-hole penetrating the first resin substrate or the second resin substrate in the laminating direction, and the first bonding area of the micro flow path chip and the second bonding area facing each other in the laminating direction. 10. A large number of concave grooves formed on the side surfaces of the first resin substrate and the second resin substrate to be joined are formed on one or both of the joining surfaces of the joining region. The microchannel device according to any one of the above items.
A method for manufacturing a microchannel device for manufacturing the microchannel device according to claim 7,
The surface of the first resin substrate provided with the first bonding region and the facing surface of the second resin substrate provided with the second bonding region and facing the surface of the second resin substrate in the stacking direction are modified. At least one of the surface of the first resin substrate and the opposing surface of the second resin substrate is covered with a lubricating liquid, and the surface of the first resin substrate and the second Positioning is performed while closely contacting the opposing surface of the resin substrate,
The groove is discharged from the opening without vaporizing or vaporizing the lubricating liquid,
The surface of the first resin substrate and the opposing surface of the second resin substrate are bonded to each other at the same time as the lubricant is lost,
The concave groove deforms itself and relieves the stress generated by the bonding, and maintains the deformed state by itself to maintain the relaxed state of the stress.
A method for manufacturing a microchannel device, comprising: