TorontoMicrofluidicsFoundry

The Toronto Microfluidics Foundry is a flexible environment for the fabrication and integration of polymer-based microfluidic devices and complements ECTI, the central cleanroom facility at the University of Toronto. Users need to be trained according to the UofT Health and Safety regulations as well as individually at the equipment and need to attend monthly user meetings. Fulfilling these requirements is a prerequisite for maintaining active user status.

News

[PTC] THE FOUNDRY WILL RE-OPEN ON WEDNESDAY, Feb 11, 2009 at 10AM. Please try to attend. All Users are required to contact the Process Technology Committee (PTC-Foundry[at]mie[dot]utoronto[dot]ca) prior to obtaining access and regaining active user status.

Location

MC405, Phone: (416) 948-6851

Process Technology Committee (PTC)

The PTC is designed to maintain and improve process standards at the Toronto Microfluidic Foundry. General functions of the PTC are:

- Approve requests for any new fabrication process

- Provide suggestions for (changes in) user policies and fabrication protocols where needed

- Match new users with experienced ones for training

- Make suggestions for improvements of the facility and set priorities with respect to equipment upgrade/ acquisition of new equipment

- Provide short updates at Foundry Meetings

The serving members of the PTC are:

- Dr. Axel Guenther

- Lian Leng

- Christopher Moraes

- Omar F. Khan

The PTC can be contacted though the following e-mail address:

PTC-Foundry[at]mie[dot]utoronto[dot]ca

Who we are

This is a multi-user facility that is supported by a number of UofT research groups. You should adhere to the lab rules (safety, signup, participation in joint info/cleaning sessions) in order to maintain active user status. Active users are:

Dr. Axel Guenther, e-mail: axel[dot]guenther[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 978-1282 (office)

Lian Leng (Guenther group), e-mail: lian[dot]leng[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 946-8210

Christopher Moraes (Simmons and Sun group), e-mail: chris[dot]moraes[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 978-8660 (Simmons group), (416) 978-8663 (Sun group)

Omar F. Khan (Sefton group), e-mail: titaniumkid[dot]khan[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 978-6518;

Yali Gao (Chan group), e-mail: ylgao[at]mie[dot]utoronto[dot]ca, (647) 233-1207, (416) 946-0015 (lab)

Siavash Aslanbeigi, e-mail: cya[dot]aslanbeigi[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 946-8210 or 8-3050 (lab)

Sanjesh Yasotharan, e-mail: sanjesh[dot]yasotharan[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 948-3050 (lab)

Saja Al-Dujaili, e-mail: s[dot]al[dot]dujaili[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 946-8210 (lab)

Lian Leng, e-mail: lian[dot]leng[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 946-8210 (lab)

Faisal Moledina, e-mail: faisal[dot]moledina[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 946-8210 (lab)

Edmond Young, e-mail: edmyoung[at]mie[dot]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 978-8660

Fahad Chowdhury (Radisic group), e-mail: fahad[dot]chowdhury[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 946-5322

Mel Brown (Radisic group), e-mail: mel[dot]brown[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 946-5322

Christopher Moraes, e-mail: chris[dot]moraes[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 978-8660 (Simmons group), (416) 978-8663 (Sun group)

Eric Wu, e-mail: e[dot]wu[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (647) 895-1275

Xinyu Liu, e-mail: xyliu[at]mie[dot]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 978-8663

Karin Yaccato (Chan group), e-mail: karin[dot]yaccato[at]utoronto[dot]ca; kyaccato[at]gmail[dot]com, (416) 946-0015

Qing Xiang (Chan group), e-mail: qing_xiang2003[at]yahoo[dot]ca, (416) 946-0015

George Ye (Simmons group), (416) 978-8660; email: george[dot]ye[at]utoronto[dot]ca

Omar F. Khan (Sefton group), (416) 978-6518; email: titaniumkid[dot]khan[at]utoronto[dot]ca

Yan Zhao (You group) (416) 978-1097; email: michelle[dot]zhao[at]utoronto[dot]ca

Bogdan Beca (Simmons group), (416) 978-8660; email: b[dot]beca[at]utoronto[dot]ca

Bryan Keith (IBBME Teaching Lab), e-mail: bryan[dot]keith[at]utoronto[dot]ca, (416) 978-1467

Nika Shakiba (Chan group), e-mail: nika[dot]shakiba[at]utoronto[dot]ca

Meetings

Please note that either attending the monthly meetings or informing us when you can't make it is mandatory for ALL users.

(a) no solvents, epoxy, PDMS debris allowed in laminar-flow hood

(b) always remove protective sheets at counter tops when dirty

(c) regularly organize pickup of solid waste

(d) order and restock supplies: - see emailed list

(e) don't turn off the right oven

(f) all new summer students need to (I) see Axel, (II) have Health & Safety training and (III) need to be trained in the foundry before getting access

(g) regularly clean up after yourself and others, report more persistent cleanliness issues

(h) update on new equipment and new facility

Supplies needed

Ordered

Enter the ordered items here.

Received

Enter received supplies here

Equipment usage log

Date, machine name, problem description. All users are requested to record hours spent in the Foundry

Please DO NOT FORGET to SIGN IN after usage. Thank you!

ADVANCE BOOKING

If you plan to use the lab in the future, please submit your times in advance to prevent double bookings. Note that for all times outside the normal working hours (workdays 9AM-5PM), you are only allowed to fabricate if you bring a second trained person with you.

PURCHASING INFORMATION

Consumables

a. WEIGH BOATS: Large Hexagonal Antistatic Polystyrene Weigh Boats (4" x 3"), pk/500, $28.01 Sku 2136-25433-104 Source: Medstore

b. KIM WIPES: Order box of 24 Source: Medstore

c. BETA WIPES: 9"x9", 50/pack, order > 3 packs

d. VACUUM PUMP OIL: Source: VWR

e. NITRILE GLOVES: sizes S, M, L, XL Source: Medstore or VWR

f. SOLVENTS: acetone, methanol, 2propanol, ethanol order in 4L bottles, cleanroom grade Source: Sigma Aldrich or Medstore

g. MICROSCOPE SLIDES: 3" x 1", VWR, Cat No: 48323-180

h. WATER-PROOF MARKERS/PENS: black, Medstore, VWR, Staples order ~ 2 boxes

i. CLEANROOM SWABS: Fisher Scientific, part number 18-385 (made by Texwipe). ~100 in a package. order 2 packs

j. STOP WATCHES: order 2 Source: Medstore

k. PARAFILM: oder 1 box 4"x125 ft, Medstore

Purchasing Photomasks

--Microart Services Inc.---------- Tel: 905 709 2244 Fax: 905 709 1873 50 West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON, L4B 1G5

Steps: 1 - Convert your file into a .gerber file. I use LinkCad.

2 - Send your file to padplot@primus.ca

3 - Call the company and tell him about it, make sure he knows where to ship it, etc.

4 - When you recieve the invoice & photomask, have Sheila Baker send a cheque out to him. The company only accepts cheques. You'll need Axel to sign the invoice with an account #.

Ships in 1 day, comes the next day.

--www.photoplotstore.com-------------------- 1-888-821-1748 they're based somewhere in the US

Steps: 1 - Convert your file to .gerber

2 - Click the grid size you want (ie 1/8 mil, 1/20 mil), it should be the first thing you see under "Precision Laser Photoplots". also, 1 mil = 25 um

3 - Upload your file

4 - Fill out the payment form

5 - Call him (cuz last time i didn't and he didn't do anything)

Also ships in 1 day, comes next day.

I find Microart has better quality transparencies, but www.photoplotstore.com has higher precision photoplotters.

-Eric

RECIPE DUMP

Dump your numberred fabrication recipes here (note the date).

A. TO FABRICATE STRAIGHT WALL ON THICK SU-8 SAMPLE

Problem: The features has a large overhanging edge near the top; the walls were slanted

Cause: the photomask was not pressed firmly against the photofilm which causes UV light to leak around the photomask apertures

Solution: before exposure, cover the photomask with a large piece of 3x2 inches glass. Then, apply two thick stacks (10-15) microscope slides on either sides of the cover glass to be used as weight.

Protocol:

Dehydration bake:

1. Dehydration bake @ 200 degrees for about 15 minutes

Spincoating:

1. 500RPM DWELL: 10s ACCELERATION: 10s

2. 2000RPM DWELL: 30s ACCELERATION: 5s

3. 0RPM DWELL: 0s ACCELERATION: 10s

Pre-exposure bake:

1. 7 minutes @ 65 degrees

2. 20 minutes @ 95 degrees

3. allowed to cool to room temperature

Exposure:

1. cover the photomask as described above

2. UV exposure for 20 seconds

Post-exposure bake:

1. 2 minutes @ 65 degrees

2. 7 minutes @ 95 degrees

3. 2 minutes @ 65 degrees

Develop:

1. Develop in 20ml of developer with mild to strong agitation for 20 minutes

2. Replace with 20ml of fresh developer

3. Develop further for another 20 minutes

An excel file with a fairly generic parameter table has been created on the desktop of the common computer in the fabrication lab. If you could input all your SU-8 fabrication data there, it'd be very useful. Thanks, Chris.

LAB SAFETY

Access to the foundry requires users to be complient with the UofT health and Safety regulations and to be individually trained by a member of Dr. Guenther's group at the equipment. Users that don't fulfill these requirements are denied access.

Waste will be picked up from the Foundry on every second Monday starting March 10, 2008.