Monolithic membrane valves and diaphragm pumps for practical large-scale integration into glass microfluidic devices

Monolithic elastomer membrane valves and diaphragm pumps suitable for large-scale integration into glass microfluidic analysis devices are fabricated and characterized. Valves and pumps are fabricated by sandwiching an elastomer membrane between etched glass fluidic channel and manifold wafers. A three-layer valve and pump design features simple non-thermal device bonding and a hybrid glass-PDMS fluidic channel; a four-layer structure includes a glass fluidic system with minimal fluid-elastomer contact for improved chemical and biochemical compatibility. The pneumatically actuated valves have <10 nl dead volumes, can be fabricated in dense arrays, and can be addressed in parallel via an integrated manifold. The membrane valves provide flow rates up to 380 nl/s at 30 kPa driving pressure and seal reliably against fluid pressures as high as 75 kPa. The diaphragm pumps are self-priming, pump from a few nanoliters to a few microliters per cycle at overall rates from 1 to over 100 nl/s, and can reliably pump against 42 kPa pressure heads. These valves and pumps provide a facile and reliable integrated technology for fluid manipulation in complex glass microfluidic and electrophoretic analysis devices. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.