title: Feature characterization of microfabricated microfluidic chips by PDMS replication and CCD imaging.
abstract: This paper presents a new approach for the metrological characterization of microfabricated features on microfluidic chips, based on a combination of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) replication and charge-coupled device (CCD) imaging. A PDMS replicate was cast from the original chip sample, and a 2-mm thick sample slice was cut from the replica at the cross-section to be studied. The digital image of the revealed structural profile was captured by a CCD camera under a microscope, and the image was processed using specially-developed algorithms for CCD image calibration and edge detection. Depth and width measurements obtained using the method agreed well with those gained using a stylus profiler and universal measuring microscope, with a deviation of below 0.9 mum, while profile distortions of deeper structures using stylus profilers were avoided. The method is reliable, non-destructive, and cheap and simple to implement in any analytical laboratory.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110004, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Yan-Xia
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Shi-Li
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhi-Yong
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Zhao-Lun
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Fang