Characterization and fabrication of polyvinylsilazane glass microfluidic channels via soft lithographic technique

The microfabrication of ceramic materials with thermal, chemical, and tribological stability has created inevitable demands for devices in the fields of micro total analysis systems (μ-TAS) and MEMS (Microelectromechanical systems). This study reports the preparation of nano-sized patterns and microfluidic channels using a soft lithographic technique, followed by the UV and thermal curation of SiCN preceramic polymer, polyvinylsilazane. The thermal characterization of the polyvinylsilazane revealed the cured polymer to have ceramic properties at higher temperature than 600 °C. It is believed that the fabrication of microchannels using cured inorganic polymers has enormous potential in the field of microfluidics, where materials with high optical transparency, thermal stability and chemical inertness are in demand.