KR101218486B1 - Polymer template, manufacturing method for the same, and microfluidic channel using the same and manufacturing method for the microfluidic channel - Google Patents

Abstract

A polymer mold, a method of manufacturing the same, a microfluidic channel using the same, and a method of manufacturing the same are provided.
The method for manufacturing a polymer mold according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a polymer mold having a curved structure, comprising: applying a photoresist to a substrate; First heat treating the photoresist; Patterning the photoresist to form a vertical polymer mold; And performing a second heat treatment of the polymer mold of the vertical structure to convert the surface of the mold into a curved surface, wherein the method for producing a polymer mold according to the present invention and the polymer mold prepared by the polymer mold are used to form bubbles in the polymer By removing through a predetermined heat treatment, it has an overall uniform strength and an excellent curved structure. Furthermore, laminating a metal thin film on the polymer mold may eliminate the polymer-polymer adhesion problem, and further, may produce a curved microfluidic channel having an up-down communication by a reactive etching process.

Description

Polymer template, its manufacturing method, microfluidic channel using the same and method for manufacturing the same {Polymer template, manufacturing method for the same, and microfluidic channel using the same and manufacturing method for the microfluidic channel}

The present invention relates to a polymer mold, a method for manufacturing the mold, a method for manufacturing the mold, a microfluidic channel using the same, and a method for manufacturing the polymer mold. The present invention relates to a polymer mold having an excellent curved structure, a method for manufacturing the same, a mold, a method for manufacturing the same, a microfluidic channel using the same, and a method for manufacturing the same.

In general, in order to form a metal wiring or a microfluidic channel of a circuit element such as a semiconductor, a polymer pattern having a predetermined shape is first formed. The polymer pattern includes a photoresist coating process, an exposure process, and a developing process. It is formed through a photolithography process.

1 is a diagram sequentially illustrating a method of forming a polymer pattern using a conventional lithography process.

Referring to FIG. 1, first, a photoresist, which is a polymer, is coated on a substrate to form a photoresist film, and then a photomask is disposed on the photoresist film, and light is selectively irradiated onto a substrate on which the photoresist film is formed. Perform the process (S10 ~ S40). Next, a polymer pattern is formed by performing a developing process on the exposed photoresist film to remove the photoresist film reacted with light (S50). Referring to the cross section of the conventional polymer pattern formed as described above, as shown in FIG. 1, most polymer patterns form a rectangular vertical structure by irradiating light perpendicular to the substrate during an exposure process of irradiating light onto the substrate. However, such a microstructure pattern of the vertical structure has a problem such as high electrical resistance, surface resistance in the angular portion, there is a problem that it is difficult to apply to the conductive line, microfluidic channel and the like.

In order to solve the above problem, a technique of manufacturing a microstructure pattern of a curved surface structure is disclosed by laminating a photoresist, which is a polymer, and then patterning and heat-treating it again. However, this technique has a problem that the polymer material used for producing the micropattern is not suitable as a mold. That is, because of the air bubbles present in the polymer material, the polymer pattern manufactured by the mold does not maintain a constant strength and uniform surface structure, and thus, when used as a mold, it is impossible to maintain a perfect injection shape. There is a problem that occurs.

Further, when manufacturing a polymer pattern other than the metal structure pattern, there is a problem that the polymer to be molded is attached to the mold polymer by the interaction between the polymer as a mold and the polymer to be molded.

Therefore, in order to solve the said subject, this invention provides the manufacturing method of the polymer mold which has a uniform curved structure and the outstanding characteristic.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a polymer mold having a uniform curved structure and excellent properties.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a microfluidic channel using a polymer template and a method of manufacturing the same.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a method of manufacturing a polymer mold of a curved structure, the step of applying a photoresist to the substrate; First heat treating the photoresist; Patterning the photoresist to form a vertical polymer mold; And a second heat treatment of the polymer mold of the vertical structure to convert the surface of the mold into a curved surface.

The first heat treatment may be performed in a manner of raising the temperature step by step. In addition, the first heat treatment is a plate heating method, the separation distance between the substrate and the heated plate may be sequentially reduced.

The photoresist may be a positive photoresist.

The present invention provides a polymer mold prepared by the method described above, wherein the polymer mold may be hemispherical, semicircular rod-shaped.

In order to solve the above another problem, the present invention is a method of manufacturing a microfluidic channel of a cylinder structure in which the upper, lower fluid communication, the method comprises the steps of (a) applying a photoresist layer on a substrate; (b) first heat treating the photoresist layer; (c) exposing and then developing the photoresist layer to produce a polymer mold having a vertical structure; (d) preparing a polymer mold having a cylindrical structure by converting the polymer mold into a curved shape by performing a second heat treatment on the polymer mold; (e) depositing a polymer transfer layer on the polymer mold in a cylinder structure to a thickness greater than or equal to the polymer mold height; (f) etching the polymer transfer layer to have a thickness less than the polymer mold height; And (g) separating the etched polymer transfer layer from the polymer template.

The first heat treatment may be performed in a manner of raising the temperature step by step. In addition, the first heat treatment may be performed by heating with a plate, and the separation distance between the substrate and the heated plate may be sequentially reduced.

The photoresist may be a positive photoresist, and the etching of step (f) may be reactive ion etching.

Another embodiment of the present invention may further comprise the step of laminating a metal thin film on the polymer mold of the cylinder structure after the step (d), the metal thin film may comprise gold. In addition, the photoresist layer is characterized in that the coating on the substrate by a spin coating method, microfluidic channel manufacturing method.

The present invention is prepared by the above-described method, and provides a microfluidic channel of a cylinder structure in which the upper and lower parts are in fluid communication.

The present invention also provides a method for separating substances by flowing a fluid containing a predetermined substance in the microfluidic channel, thereby confining only the substance contained in the fluid in the channel.

The method for producing a polymer mold according to the present invention and the polymer mold prepared thereby have a uniform strength as a whole by removing bubbles existing in the polymer through a predetermined heat treatment, and have an excellent curved structure. Furthermore, laminating a metal thin film on the polymer mold may eliminate the polymer-polymer adhesion problem, and further, may produce a curved microfluidic channel having an up-down communication by a reactive etching process.

1 is a diagram sequentially illustrating a method of forming a polymer pattern using a conventional lithography process.
2 is a step diagram of a method for manufacturing a polymer mold according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a step-by-step schematic diagram of a method for producing a polymer mold according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 and 5 are SEM images of the polymer pattern prepared in this example.
6 is an SEM image of a polymer mold prepared according to this example.
FIG. 7 is an SEM image of PDMS onto which a semicircular polymer template pattern is transferred according to the present embodiment. FIG.
8 is an SEM image of the prepared microfluidic channel.
9A to 9E are steps of a method of manufacturing a curved microfluidic channel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a perspective view of a microfluidic channel manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are provided by way of example so that those skilled in the art can fully understand the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, but may be embodied in other forms. In the drawings, the width, length, thickness, etc. of the components may be exaggerated for convenience. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

In the present invention, in the production of a polymer mold, after the photoresist, which is a polymer, is applied to a substrate, bubbles or the like present in the photoresist are removed through a first heat treatment consisting of multiple steps before exposure orbit. Thereafter, the exposure and development processes are performed, and a heat treatment process for the final manufactured pattern is performed to change the angled surface structure of the pattern into a round surface structure. Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a polymer mold according to embodiments of the present invention will be described.

2 is a step diagram of a method for manufacturing a polymer mold according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the polymer mold manufacturing method according to the embodiment first applies a photoresist layer to a substrate (S110). In one embodiment of the invention the photoresist is a positive photoresist (positive photoresist) having a positive photosensitive characteristics, the coating was a spin coating method on a substrate.

Thereafter, the applied photoresist layer is subjected to a first heat treatment to remove bubbles or the like existing therein through the first heat treatment (S120). That is, in order to use the photoresist as a mold for producing a fine pattern, fine surface characteristics of nano units must be achieved. Bubbles present in the photoresist change surface structure and cause uneven mechanical properties. . In order to eliminate this, the present invention provides two types of first heat treatment, one of which is a stepwise temperature rising method, and the other of which sets a separation distance between the substrate and the heated plate. The first heat treatment will be described in detail below.

An exposure and development process are performed on the first heat-treated photoresist layer to prepare a fine pattern having a rectangular structure (S130). However, since the manufactured fine pattern still forms a vertical structure or a square structure on the substrate, the angled structure is converted into a round shape through the second heat treatment (S140).

3 is a step-by-step schematic diagram of a method for producing a polymer mold according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, first, a photoresist layer 110, which is a polymer, is coated on a substrate 100. Application of the photoresist layer 110 is a method of spin coating after laminating the photoresist layer 110 on a substrate, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

Thereafter, the applied photoresist layer 110 is subjected to a heat treatment (first heat treatment). The first heat treatment is performed by separating the substrate from the heated plate (hot plate) and the first method of raising the temperature step by step. There is a second method of heat treatment in a way to narrow the separation distance, which will be described in more detail in the following examples.

The polymer mold 110 having a vertical structure is manufactured by stacking a mask on the photoresist layer 110 from which bubbles are removed by the first heat treatment, and then exposing and developing the mask. However, since the surface characteristics of the vertical structure have a problem such as an increase in the fluid resistance as described above, in the present invention, the vertical structure of the polymer mold is converted into a curved structure by performing a second heat treatment on the manufactured polymer mold. . As described above, the polymer from which bubbles are removed by the first heat treatment is converted into a more uniform curved structure than the prior art, thereby producing a polymer mold having excellent curved structure and mechanical properties.

Hereinafter, a method for preparing a polymer mold according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments.

Example  One

By heat treatment of the first method Polymer  Mold manufacturing

In the present embodiment, the first heat treatment was performed in such a manner as to remove bubbles in the polymer while raising the temperature step by step. To this end, AZ 40XT-D11 photoresist, a polymer having positive photosensitive properties, was sonicated for one day to remove bubbles. Thereafter, after pouring into the substrate, spin coating at 500 rpm for 10 seconds, and spin coating at 1000 rpm for 20 seconds to apply an AZ 40XT-D11 photoresist layer on the substrate. Thereafter, the photoresist layer was heat-treated at 70 ° C. for 4 minutes, at 90 ° C. for 4 minutes, and at 115 ° C. for 4 minutes, while increasing the temperature step by step.

Thereafter, the exposure process was performed at an energy density of 1000 mJ / cm 2, and then heat-treated at 100 ° C. for 60 seconds. Thereafter, the developing process was performed by dipping the photoresist layer three times for two to three minutes in a developer to prepare a polymer mold having a vertical structure.

Thereafter, the polymer pattern of the vertical structure was subjected to a second heat treatment at 105 ° C. for 15 minutes to convert the vertical structure of the polymer mold into a curved structure, thereby preparing a curved polymer mold.

4 and 5 are SEM images of the polymer pattern prepared in this example.

Referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the semicircle rod having a uniform radius of curvature is effectively manufactured according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, it can be seen that the hemispherical mold pattern is effectively manufactured.

Example  2

By heat treatment of the second method Polymer  template

In the present embodiment, after the substrate is separated from the heated plate, the first heat treatment is performed in a manner of narrowing the separation distance. The first heat treatment process includes a first step of setting the separation distance between the lower plate heated to 126 ° C. and the substrate to 1 mm, a second step of setting the separation distance to 0.5 mm again, and a third step of contacting the substrate and the lower plate. Consists of steps. In an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second steps were performed for 2 minutes and the third step was performed for 3 minutes. As described above, in this embodiment, the distance between the heated plate and the substrate is spaced apart, and the air bubbles inside the photoresist, which is a polymer, are removed in such a manner as to reduce the distance between the plate and the substrate step by step. Except that the first heat treatment method is different, the remaining process was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1.

6 is an SEM image of a polymer mold prepared according to this example.

Referring to FIG. 6, it can be seen that the semicircle rod pattern of the curved structure having the uniform radius of curvature as in Example 1 was effectively manufactured.

Example  3

Polymer  Microfluidic Channel Fabrication Using a Mold

In this example, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was contacted with a semi-circular polymer template prepared in Examples 1 or 2, and the polymer template pattern was transferred to PDMS.

FIG. 7 is an SEM image of PDMS onto which a semicircular polymer template pattern is transferred according to the present embodiment. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 7, it can be seen that the pattern of the polymer template was effectively transferred to PDMS.

In the same manner, after transferring the polymer template pattern to PDMS, the semi-circle-coupled circular microfluidic channel was prepared by binding the polymer template pattern to the PDMS.

8 is an SEM image of the prepared microfluidic channel. Referring to FIG. 8, it can be seen that a circular microfluidic channel is formed in PDMS.

Example  4

Curved Microfluidic Channel Fabrication

In this example, a curved microfluidic channel was prepared in which fluid was communicated up and down.

9A to 9E are steps of a method of manufacturing a curved microfluidic channel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9A and 9B, a gold thin film 820, which is a metal thin film, is stacked on a hemispherical polymer mold 810 manufactured on a silicon substrate 800 according to Example 1 or 2. As described above, the curved structure of the mold, that is, the hemispherical shape, was prepared by heat-treating the polymer pattern of the vertical structure patterned as described above. The metal thin film 820 stacked on the polymer mold 810 pattern performs two functions, one of which is to protect the polymer mold during the subsequent etching process, and the other is due to the polymer-polymer interaction. It is to prevent adhesion.

Referring to FIG. 9C, another polymer transfer layer 830 is stacked in contact with a polymer mold on which a metal thin film 820 is stacked, whereby the polymer mold 810 pattern is transferred to the polymer transfer layer 830. do. The polymer transfer layer 830 is made of a polymer material having a certain flexibility, such as PMMA or PDMS, so that a curved polymer mold pattern can be transferred. In one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the polymer transfer layer 830 is thicker than the height of the polymer mold 810 pattern, but the thickness is reduced uniformly by the reactive ion etching process. As a result, holes having a predetermined size are formed under the curved surface, and a microfluidic channel having a curved structure in which fluid is communicated is manufactured in the polymer transfer layer 830.

In the present invention, the thickness of the polymer transfer layer 830 is first thickened, and then, the upper and lower surfaces of the curved structure in fluid communication with the polymer transfer layer are formed in such a manner as to reduce the thickness of the polymer transfer layer 830 as a whole. Form. If the transfer process of the mold pattern using the polymer transfer layer of a thin thickness from the beginning, it is because the curved surface pattern, especially the lower hole of the overall uniform shape is not formed.

Referring to FIG. 9D, the polymer transfer layer 830 stacked on the polymer mold 810 is etched. In one embodiment of the present invention, the etching is performed by an oxygen reactive ion etching method. Only the polymer transfer layer 830 made of a polymer material is uniformly etched by the oxygen reactive ion etching, and the polymer template 810 is exposed between the polymer transfer layers 830 as the etching process proceeds. The lower hole is formed in the curved structure in the polymer transfer layer 830 according to the exposure of the mold.

In addition, since the polymer mold 810 exposed to the reactive ion etching process is protected by the metal thin film 820 stacked thereon, the curved pattern of the mold may be maintained despite the reactive ion etching process.

Referring to FIG. 9E, the polymer transfer layer 830 to which the mold pattern is transferred is separated from the polymer mold 810. At this time, the metal thin film 820 such as gold stacked on the polymer mold 810 prevents adhesion due to the polymer-interaction between the transfer layer 830 and the mold 810, and thus the transfer layer ( 830 allows for easy separation. The separated polymer transfer layer is formed with a microfluidic channel having a curved structure having a lower portion open to a predetermined size, and the fluid flowing into the channel flows downward.

10 is a perspective view of a microfluidic channel manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the microfluidic channel 910 according to the present invention is a form in which a pattern of a polymer mold is transferred, has a curved shape, and a hole 920 having a predetermined size is formed at a lower portion thereof. As a result, the fluid flowing into the curved microfluidic channel 910 may flow down.

When using the microfluidic channel of the structure, only a substance present in a solvent such as water, for example, a single cell or the like, can be trapped in the curved structure, that is, a hemispherical microfluidic channel, and in this way any The substance can be separated from the fluid.

As described above, although described with reference to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art will be variously modified and modified within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described in the claims below. It will be appreciated that it can be changed.

Claims (10)

In the method of manufacturing a microfluidic channel of a cylinder structure in which the upper and lower parts are in fluid communication, the method
(a) applying a photoresist layer onto the substrate;
(b) heat treating the photoresist layer step by step while increasing the temperature;
(c) exposing and then developing the photoresist layer to produce a polymer mold having a vertical structure;
(d) preparing a polymer mold having a cylindrical structure by converting the polymer mold into a curved shape by performing a second heat treatment on the polymer mold;
(e) depositing a polymer transfer layer on the polymer mold in a cylinder structure to a thickness greater than or equal to the polymer mold height;
(f) etching the polymer transfer layer to have a thickness less than the polymer mold height; And
(g) separating the etched polymer transfer layer from the polymer template. delete The method of claim 1,
The first heat treatment is performed by heating with a plate, the method of producing a microfluidic channel, characterized in that to sequentially reduce the separation distance between the substrate and the heated plate. The method of claim 1,
And the photoresist is a positive photoresist. The method of claim 1,
The etching of step (f) is a microfluidic channel manufacturing method characterized in that the reactive ion etching. The method of claim 1,
And laminating a metal thin film on the polymer mold of the cylinder structure after the step (d). The method according to claim 6,
The metal thin film comprises a gold, microfluidic channel manufacturing method. The method of claim 1,
The photoresist layer is applied to the substrate by a spin coating method, microfluidic channel manufacturing method. A microfluidic channel of a cylindrical structure, which is manufactured by the method according to any one of claims 1 and 3 to 8, wherein the upper and lower parts are in fluid communication. 10. A method for separating materials, comprising confining only the material contained in the fluid in the channel by flowing a fluid containing a predetermined material in the microfluidic channel according to claim 9.

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