Oxygen plasma assisted room temperature bonding for manufacturing SU-8 polymer micro/nanoscale nozzle

Electrohydrodynamic-jet (E-jet) printing is an on-demand additive manufacturing method that allows various functional materials to be directly deposited on the target substrate. Many theoretical and experimental results indicate that E-jet has scale effect, and reducing the inner diameter of the nozzle can effectively improve printing resolution. Herein, a method for fabricating SU-8 polymer micro/nanos-cale nozzle by oxygen plasma assisted room temperature bonding was proposed. It can prevent channel deformation and blockage caused by excessive bonding temperature. The surface modification parameters of silicon nano-mold were optimized, the influence of hot embossing parameters on the replication precision of nano patterns was investigated, the effect of UV lithography parameters on the micro and nano-channel was analyzed, the relationship between the oxygen plasma treatment parameters on the contact angle of SU-8 was revealed, the influence of bonding pressure on the mor-phology of the nanochannel was discussed, and the bonding principle at room temperature was deeply analyzed. This method can fabricate SU-8 polymer micro/nanoscale nozzle with low cost and high precision, and provide a new idea for the realization of room temperature bonding to manufacture SU-8 polymer nozzle.

Automated summary

This research proposes a method for fabricating SU-8 polymer micro/nanoscale nozzle using oxygen plasma-assisted room temperature bonding, which can prevent channel deformation and blockage caused by excessive bonding temperature. By optimizing the surface modification parameters of silicon nano-mold, investigating the influence of hot embossing parameters on replication precision of nano patterns, analyzing the effect of UV lithography parameters on micro and nano channels, revealing the relationship between oxygen plasma treatment parameters and SU-8 contact angle, discussing the influence of bonding pressure on nanochannel morphology, and analyzing the bonding principle at room temperature. This method enables the fabrication of SU-8 polymer micro/nanoscale nozzle with low cost and high precision, providing a new idea for room temperature bonding for manufacturing SU-8 polymer nozzle.