Precise glass processing for the production of glass microfluidic chips
The production of microfluidic chips made of glass is becoming increasingly important, as glass offers excellent chemical resistance, optical transparency and mechanical stability. Many industries therefore rely on glass as a substrate material. However, traditional processing methods are reaching their limits, for example in terms of miniaturization, the high level of post-processing required and the associated costs.
The Citrogene Solution™ - progress in glass micromachining
With the Citrogene Solution™, Citrogene has developed a proprietary manufacturing process that enables high-precision microstructures in brittle materials. The process is based on an ultra-fast solid-state laser in combination with a specially developed post-processing technology. This allows microstructures to be machined directly from the base material without damaging it or the extracted parts.
Technical advantages of the Citrogene Solution™
Processing is fast, cost-efficient and scalable. Clean components of almost any shape are produced without deposits. The high bending strength of the glass is retained and the cut surfaces are almost vertical with a surface roughness of less than 600 nm in most cases. The process therefore enables high-precision production with minimal post-processing.
Compatible materials and formats
The Citrogene Solution™ is compatible with a wide range of brittle materials, including quartz, fused silica, borofloat, soda lime, alkali-free barium boroaluminosilicate, aluminosilicate and borosilicate. Wafers with thicknesses of 30 µm to 3 mm and diameters of up to 300 mm can be processed. The process can therefore be used flexibly for different production requirements.
Typical areas of application
Glass microfluidic chips are used in biotechnology, medical technology, chemical analysis and lab-on-a-chip systems. Thanks to the high precision of the Citrogene Solution™, complex channel structures and microcomponents required for modern microfluidic systems can be realized.
Contact and advice
For detailed technical information and a customized solution, we will be happy to provide you with a quote. Visit our product page. Further information on microfluidic production can be found at SPIE - The International Society for Optics and Photonics.
