ABSTRACT
Initially, most of the processes for fabricating microuidic chips (MCs) were developed using silicon as the substrate material, with the fabrication process derived from well-established technologies in the semiconductor manufacturing industry [1]. Due to the increasing demand for specic biocompatibility, desirable optical characteristics, faster proto typing, and lower production costs, new materials and new processes have been developed for selective etching of glass, metal, and ceramic substrates in conventional lithography, as well as for deposition and bonding of polydimethyldisiloxane (PDMS) with desired substrates in soft lithography [2]. Other new processes, such as laser ablating for poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates, thick-lm, and stereolithography [3], are also developed as well as fast replication methods via electroplating, injection molding, and embossing [4].
