Thomas Wegener

Platform Technologies for Pico-liter Printing and Nano-imprinting

In the area of bio and nano-packaging, the dosage of liquids and suspensions is mainly used for the functionalization of surfaces in the purpose of device mounting. Components in the range of a few hundred micrometers must be placed, aligned, and then irreversibly fixed. Because the structural elements are so small and techniques and tools and their handling are scarce, the use of differences in the wetting effects at surfaces are becoming more relevant for the self-assembly. In order to implement this technically, small addresses with specific wettability and adhesion characteristics must be deposited on the surface, usually at high density. Exactly this part is achieved by microfluidics, microdispensing, or microarray technology. In analogy to biochip technology, which deals with DNA or protein microarrays, tiny adhesive reservoirs or temporarily active wetting anchors must be placed at high density on circuit boards, microtechnically manufactured optical benches, or NEMS. For such tasks, appropriate platform technologies are already available (Table 11.1). This chapter will introduce design and properties of the respective equipment.