Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based micro-devices fabricated by photolithographic techniques and micro-machined polymers (such as PMMA and COC) remain the standard in the field of microfluidics. Although these polymeric materials have numerous benefits such as the ability to rapidly prototype and a relatively low replication cost, they also have many drawbacks namely: PDMS’s lack of rigidity, poor solvent resistance, high gas permeability, and 2D limited designs. To overcome these drawbacks, we utilize a cutting-edge microfabrication technique called selective laser-induced etching (SLE) to fabricate truly 3D monolithic structures within fused silica. SLE allows us to create transparent and chemically resistant microfluidic devices impossible with standard photolithographic or milling techniques. In this poster, we will present the techniques and technical challenges associated with SLE glass microfluidic device fabrication as well as results from recent experiments.
