Fabrication method of microfluidic chip and 3D printing device

Abstract

The present application provides a method and device for manufacturing a microfluidic chip, including preparing a substrate with a microchannel, the substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, the microchannel including a first microchannel located on the first surface; pressing a cover sheet on the first surface of the substrate, and having a first printing material layer between the cover sheet and the substrate; and exposing the first printing material layer while avoiding the area corresponding to the first microchannel, so that the substrate and the cover sheet are bonded. The method and device for manufacturing a microfluidic chip in the present application facilitate the bonding of the electrode glass and the flow channel part of the microfluidic chip, improve the flatness of the bonding surface, and enhance the smoothness of the preparation process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application mainly relates to the field of micro-nano three-dimensional printing technology, and particularly relates to a method for manufacturing a microfluidic chip and a three-dimensional printing device. Background Art

[0002] With the development of technology, the precision of chip preparation technology is getting higher and higher. The microfluidic channels of microfluidic chips require high precision and some are relatively complex. Therefore, micro-nano three-dimensional printing technology is a good method for preparing chips. Micro-nano three-dimensional printing technology uses continuous, pulsed laser or LED light as an energy source, and adopts a method of layer-by-layer scanning and stacking forming to decompose a three-dimensional model into two-dimensional models layer by layer, and further combines with a microscopic imaging optical system to shrink or focus the light beam, and controls the photopolymerization reaction process at the micro-nano scale to realize the printing and manufacturing of micro-nano three-dimensional structures.

[0003] In the prior art, for the traditional printing method of microfluidic chips, when bonding the bottom plate glass / electrode glass of the microfluidic chip and the contact surface with the microchannel part, many obstacles are often encountered. For example, adhesives that are relatively unfavorable to the microfluidic chip itself need to be used. In addition, in some cases, the bonding step will also cause defects such as process incoherence in the overall process of manufacturing the microfluidic chip. Therefore, there is an urgent need in the art for a preparation scheme that can optimize the bonding process between the electrode glass of the microfluidic chip and the part with channels. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this application is to provide a method for manufacturing a microfluidic chip and a three-dimensional printing device, which are convenient for bonding the electrode glass and the channel part of the microfluidic chip, improve the flatness of the bonding surface, and enhance the smoothness of the preparation process.

[0005] To solve the above technical problem, this application provides a method for manufacturing a microfluidic chip, including the following steps: preparing a substrate with a microchannel, the substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, the microchannel including a first microchannel located on the first surface; pressing a cover sheet on the first surface of the substrate, and making there be a first printing material layer between the cover sheet and the substrate; and exposing the first printing material layer while avoiding the area corresponding to the first microchannel to bond the substrate and the cover sheet.

[0006] Optionally, the step of preparing a substrate with a microchannel includes: forming the microchannel on the substrate by photolithography, micro-nano imprinting or mechanical engraving.

[0007] Optionally, the step of preparing the substrate with microchannels includes: layer-by-layer printing the substrate in the three-dimensional printing device in the order from the second surface to the first surface until the top layer corresponding to the first surface is printed; wherein, the step of pressing the cover plate on the first surface of the substrate includes: pressing the cover plate on the top layer.

[0008] Optionally, the step of layer-by-layer printing the substrate includes: reducing the distance between the first cover plate of the three-dimensional printing device and the forming platform to a predetermined distance, so that there is a second printing material layer between the first cover plate and the substrate to be formed located on the forming platform; exposing the second printing material layer with the light source of the three-dimensional printing device; and after printing the substrate, removing the first cover plate and adjusting the focal length for exposing the first printing material layer, or readjusting the distance between the first cover plate and the substrate, so that the distance meets the focal length requirement for the light source to expose the first printing material layer.

[0009] Optionally, the method for manufacturing the microfluidic chip further includes placing the cover plate in the cover plate preparation area of the three-dimensional printing device, and the step of pressing the cover plate on the first surface of the substrate includes: transferring the cover plate from the cover plate preparation area to the printing area through the transfer mechanism of the three-dimensional printing device and pressing the first surface of the substrate.

[0010] Optionally, the method for manufacturing the microfluidic chip further includes assembling electrodes onto the cover plate before pressing the cover plate on the first surface of the substrate.

[0011] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a three-dimensional printing device suitable for manufacturing a microfluidic chip. The three-dimensional printing device includes: a material cylinder adapted to load printing materials; a light source located above the material cylinder; a forming platform disposed in the material cylinder in a liftable manner. The forming platform is adapted to carry a substrate of the microfluidic chip having microchannels. The substrate has opposite first and second surfaces. Among them, the first surface faces the light source, and there is an exposure space for exposure between the light source and the forming platform; a first cover plate movably disposed at an exposure position in the exposure space or a rest area outside the exposure position. The first cover plate is adapted to enter the exposure space and stay at the exposure position, or reach the rest area after leaving the exposure position. When the first cover plate is located at the exposure position, the light-transmitting area of the first cover plate is aligned with the light source; a clamping mechanism for clamping a cover plate of the microfluidic chip; and a controller configured to control the clamping mechanism to move and press the cover plate on the first surface of the substrate after controlling the first cover plate to leave the exposure position and reach the rest area, so that there is a first printing material layer between the cover plate and the substrate, and control the light source to expose the first printing material layer to bond the substrate and the cover plate.

[0012] Optionally, it further includes a first cover plate movement mechanism including a rotation part and a lifting part. The rotation part is adapted to control the first cover plate to rotate in the horizontal direction, and the lifting part is adapted to control the first cover plate to move in the vertical direction.

[0013] Optionally, the microchannels include first microchannels located on the first surface, and the controller is further adapted to avoid the area corresponding to the first microchannels when controlling the light source to expose the first printing material layer.

[0014] Optionally, the controller is further configured to control the first cover plate to enter the exposure space before pressing the cover plate on the first surface of the substrate, and control the light source and the forming platform to layer-print the substrate in the order from the second surface to the first surface until the top layer corresponding to the first surface is printed; then press the cover plate on the top layer.

[0015] Optionally, the controller is further configured to layer-print the substrate as follows: reduce the distance between the first cover plate and the forming platform to a predetermined distance, so that there is a second printing material layer between the first cover plate and the substrate to be formed; control the light source to expose the second printing material layer; and after printing the substrate, the controller is further configured to control the first cover plate to leave the exposure position and reach the rest area, and readjust the focal length for exposing the first printing material layer.

[0016] Optionally, the three-dimensional printing device further includes: a cover sheet preparation area for carrying one or more cover sheets; a cover sheet transfer mechanism connected to the cover sheet preparation area; wherein, the controller is further configured to control the cover sheet transfer mechanism to transfer a cover sheet from the cover sheet preparation area to the exposure position after the substrate is located in the exposure space.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the method for manufacturing a microfluidic chip and the three-dimensional printing device of the present application can simply and conveniently complete the bonding operation between the electrode glass of the microfluidic chip and the part with a flow channel, and the bonding effect is good, which can improve the flatness of the bonding surface. Moreover, in some preferred examples, the same three-dimensional printing device can be used to complete the printing of the flow channel part and the printing of the bonding surface in the microfluidic chip, and the manufacturing process is coherent and direct, avoiding process pollution. Description of the Drawings

[0018] The accompanying drawings are provided to further understand the present application. They are incorporated and constitute a part of the present application. The accompanying drawings illustrate the embodiments of the present application and, together with this specification, serve to explain the principles of the present application. In the accompanying drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for manufacturing a microfluidic chip according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a three-dimensional printing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 3 is as Figure 2 shown in the perspective view of a three-dimensional printing device in a working state according to the embodiment shown;

[0022] Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 are respectively the printing schematic diagrams of the exposure areas of a three-dimensional printing device according to the embodiment shown in the present application in different printing states; and Figure 2 shown in the perspective view of a three-dimensional printing device in different working states according to the embodiment shown in the present application; and

[0023] Figure 8 and Figure 9 are respectively the perspective views of a three-dimensional printing device according to the embodiment shown in the present application in different working states. Figure 2 shown in the perspective view of a three-dimensional printing device in different working states according to the embodiment shown in the present application. Detailed Embodiments

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some examples or embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, the present application can also be applied to other similar scenarios based on these drawings. Unless obvious from the language context or otherwise stated, the same reference numerals in the figures represent the same structure or operation.

[0025] As shown in the present application and the claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, words such as "a", "an", "one", and / or "the" are not specifically singular and may also include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms "comprising" and "including" only indicate the inclusion of the clearly identified steps and elements, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list. The method or device may also include other steps or elements.

[0026] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangements, numerical expressions, and numerical values of the components and steps described in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn in actual proportional relationships. Technologies, methods, and devices known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the said technologies, methods, and devices should be regarded as part of the authorization specification. In all the examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings. Therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0027] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationships indicated by orientation words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal", and "top, bottom" are usually based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description. Without contrary instructions, these orientation words do not indicate and imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation on the protection scope of the present application; the orientation words "inside, outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contour of each component itself.

[0028] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above", "over", "on the upper surface", "upper", etc. may be used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature shown in the figures with respect to other devices or features. It should be understood that the spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, a device described as "above" or "over" other devices or structures will then be positioned "below" or "beneath" the other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both orientations of "above" and "below". The device may also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the corresponding explanations for the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be made accordingly.

[0029] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is merely for the convenience of differentiating the corresponding components. Without additional statements, the above terms have no special meanings, and thus should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application. In addition, although the terms used in this application are selected from well-known and commonly used terms, some of the terms mentioned in the specification of this application may be selected by the applicant according to his or her judgment, and their detailed meanings are described in the relevant parts of this description. In addition, it is required to understand this application not only through the actual terms used, but also through the meanings implied by each term.

[0030] This application refers to Figure 1 A manufacturing method 10 of a microfluidic chip (hereinafter referred to as "manufacturing method 10") is proposed, which facilitates the bonding of the electrode glass and the flow channel part of the microfluidic chip, improves the flatness of the bonding surface, and enhances the smoothness of the preparation process.

[0031] Flowcharts are used in this application to illustrate the operations performed by the systems according to the embodiments of this application. It should be understood that the operations before or below do not necessarily have to be executed precisely in sequence. On the contrary, various steps can be executed in reverse order or simultaneously. Also, or other operations can be added to these processes, or one or several steps can be removed from these processes.

[0032] According to Figure 1 , the manufacturing method 10 includes steps 11 to 13, and these steps will be described below.

[0033] Referring to Figure 1 , step 11 is to prepare a substrate having microchannels. Among them, the above substrate has opposite first and second surfaces, and the microchannels include first microchannels located on the first surface, and these features will be further described below with reference to other figures.

[0034] Step 12 is to press a cover sheet on the first surface of the substrate, and there is a first printing material layer between the cover sheet and the substrate. It can be understood that in step 11, the substrate is the part of the microfluidic chip with flow channels, and in some embodiments, the cover sheet can be understood as glass above the flow channel part, or glass with electrodes.

[0035] Step 13 is to expose the first printing material layer and simultaneously avoid the area corresponding to the first microchannel, so that the substrate and the cover sheet are bonded.

[0036] Exemplarily, such as Figure 1 The step of preparing the substrate with microchannels in step 11 as shown includes forming microchannels on the substrate by photolithography, micro-nano imprinting or mechanical engraving. The present application does not limit the method of obtaining the substrate with microchannels. This means that substrates with microchannels prepared by some relatively common means in the prior art can all directly adopt the manufacturing method 10 as shown in Figure 1 to realize the bonding operation of the substrate and the cover sheet (such as electrode glass).

[0037] To better illustrate the manufacturing method 10, now refer to Figure 2 A three-dimensional printing device 20 (hereinafter referred to as "printing device 20") for a microfluidic chip proposed by the present application is introduced. In some embodiments of the present application, the printing device 20 can adopt the manufacturing method 10 as shown in Figure 1 or perform printing operations based on some preferred variant embodiments of the manufacturing method 10. On this basis, Figure 3 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 are respectively the three-dimensional schematic diagrams of the printing device 20 as shown in Figure 2 in several different working states, Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 are respectively the printing schematic diagrams of the exposure areas of the printing device 20 as shown in Figure 2 of the present application in different printing states. These drawings show different structural components of the printing device 20 from different angles and will be further described below.

[0038] Referring to Figures 2 - 9 , the printing device 20 mainly includes a material cylinder 201, a light source 202, a forming platform 203, a first cover plate 204, a clamping mechanism 205 (specifically refer to Figure 6 ), and a controller (not shown in the figure).

[0039] Specifically, referring to Figure 1, the material cylinder 201 is adapted to load printing materials. The light source 202 is located above the material cylinder 201. The forming platform 203 is disposed in the material cylinder 201 in a liftable manner. For a clearer reference Figure 5 As shown, the forming platform 203 is adapted to carry the substrate 101 of the microfluidic chip having microfluidic channels. The substrate 101 has opposite first surface 102 and second surface 103; combined with Figure 2 As shown in the relative position relationship, the first surface 102 faces the light source 202, and there is an exposure space for exposure between the light source 202 and the forming platform 203.

[0040] Furthermore, the first cover plate 204 is movably disposed at an exposure position in the exposure space or a rest area outside the exposure position. Specifically, during the operation of the printing device 20, the first cover plate 204 is adapted to enter the exposure space and stay at the exposure position, or reach the rest area after leaving the exposure position. It should be explained that, combined with Figure 1 As shown in step 13 of the manufacturing method 10, the above-mentioned first cover plate 204 is in the rest area when printing the first printing material layer, and this rest area may be completely located in the exposure area or partially coincide with the exposure area, or as Figures 6 - 8 shown, completely outside the exposure area. Only when the substrate 101 referred to above Figure 5 is also printed by the printing device 20, it can be considered that during the process of printing the substrate 101 using the printing device 20, the first cover plate 204 is located at the exposure position in the above-mentioned exposure space. At this time, the light-transmitting area of the first cover plate 204 is aligned with the light source 202. Exemplarily, Figures 3 - 5 shows the state where the first cover plate 204 is located at the exposure position during the process of printing the substrate 101.

[0041] Exemplarily, the first cover plate 204 can be made of a light-transmitting material such as glass. For the specific implementation manner, reference can be made to the structure of the glass cover plate between the light source and the forming platform in the existing light-curing three-dimensional printing devices. In these solutions, the glass cover plate is in a specific position and is immovable throughout the operation of the three-dimensional printing device. The focal length adjustment is completed by adjusting the light source parameters or controlling the movement of the forming platform, etc., so as to perform printing. Different from the prior art, the first cover plate 204 in this application that can be analogized to the glass cover plate in the prior art can rotate and move up and down or in the horizontal direction in the printing device 20, so as to meet the printing and bonding operation between the microfluidic channel substrate and the cover plate (electrode glass) in the microfluidic chip.

[0042] Exemplarily, in this embodiment, the printing device 20 further includes a first cover plate movement mechanism, which specifically includes a rotation part and a lifting part. The rotation part is adapted to control the rotation of the first cover plate in the horizontal direction, and the lifting part is adapted to control the movement of the first cover plate in the vertical direction. Figure 2An exemplary specific implementation of the rotating part and the lifting part is shown. Specifically, the rotating part in this embodiment includes a rotating motor 2042 and a rotating platform 2043, and the lifting part includes a lifting motor 2044 and a platform bracket 2041. During the printing process, when it is necessary to change the position of the first cover plate 204 between the exposure position and the rest area, the above-mentioned rotating part and lifting part can be jointly controlled.

[0043] Further reference Figure 6 , the printing device 20 further includes a clamping mechanism 205 for clamping the cover sheet 105 of the microfluidic chip. The printing device 20 also includes a controller, which is configured to control the clamping mechanism 205 to move to press the cover sheet 105 on the first surface 102 of the substrate 101 after controlling the first cover plate 204 to leave the exposure position and reach the rest area, and to have a first printing material layer between the cover sheet 105 and the substrate 101, and control the light source 202 to expose the first printing material layer to bond the substrate 101 and the cover sheet 105. It should be noted that, in order to distinguish different printing processes, the first printing material layer and the second printing material layer are distinguished above. Specifically, the second printing material layer is when the substrate 101 is printed with this printing device 20, and each layer of printing material therein can be understood as the second printing material layer; and only when the last step (for example, as Figure 1 shown in step 13) is performed to bond the substrate 101 and the cover sheet 105, the printing material layer filled between the two will be understood as the first printing material layer. Therefore, the first printing material layer and the second printing material layer may essentially belong to the same kind of printing material.

[0044] In some preferred embodiments of the present application, for example, in the substrate 101 as shown in Figure 6 , the above-mentioned microchannel includes a first microchannel 104 located on the first surface 102. In such a case, the controller is also adapted to avoid the area corresponding to the first microchannel 104 when controlling the light source 202 to expose the first printing material layer.

[0045] As described above, in some embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned substrate 101 with reference to Figure 5 can also be printed using the printing device 20 and then bonded between the printed substrate 101 and the cover sheet 105. In such an embodiment, the controller is also configured to control the first cover plate 204 to enter the exposure space and stay at the exposure position before pressing the cover sheet 105 on the first surface 102 of the substrate 101, and further control the light source 202 and the forming platform 203 to print the substrate 101 layer by layer in the order from the second surface 103 to the first surface 102 until the top layer corresponding to the first surface 102 is printed; then press the cover sheet 105 on the top layer.

[0046] Exemplarily, the controller can be specifically configured to print the substrate 101 in a hierarchical manner as follows: reduce the distance between the first cover plate 204 and the forming platform 203 to a predetermined distance, so that there is a second printing material layer between the first cover plate 204 and the substrate 1010 to be formed (such as Figure 4 shown); control the light source 202 to expose the second printing material layer; and, after printing the substrate 101, the controller is further configured to control the first cover plate 204 to leave the exposure position and reach the rest area, and readjust the relative position relationship (i.e., the spacing between each other) between the components, so as to meet the focal length requirements for the light source 202 to expose the first printing material layer. It can be understood that, in this embodiment, referring to Figures 6 - 8 , it shows the situation where the rest area of the first cover plate 204 does not coincide with the exposure space at all. Therefore, after printing the substrate 101, it is equivalent to completely removing the first cover plate 204 from the exposure space. At this time, what needs to be adjusted is the distance between the light source 202 and the overall substrate 101 and cover plate 105, so that this distance meets the focal length requirements for exposing the first printing material layer of the object. In some other embodiments of the present application, when the rest area of the first cover plate 204 is still located in the exposure space (that is, the first cover plate 204 moves upward in the exposure space to the rest area so that there is a space for accommodating the cover plate 105 between the first cover plate 204 and the substrate 101), then in such an embodiment, when readjusting the exposure focal length of the light source 202, the refraction effects of the cover plate 105 and the first cover plate 204 on the light need to be considered simultaneously, so as to meet the focal length requirements for printing the first printing material layer between the cover plate 105 and the substrate 101.

[0047] Specifically, during the process of using the printing device 20 to print the substrate 101, until the top layer corresponding to the first surface 102 is printed, the substrate 1010 to be formed that is not finally printed and is carried on the forming platform at any printing stage; in addition, before printing to this top layer, each printing layer of the substrate 101 can be understood as the above-mentioned second printing material layer, that is, during the process of printing the substrate 101, there is a second printing material layer between the first cover plate 204 and the substrate 1010 to be formed.

[0048] Further preferably, referring to Figure 2 , the printing device 20 further includes a cover plate preparation area 206 for carrying one or more such as Figure 6 and Figure 7The cover sheet 105 shown. In such an embodiment, the clamping mechanism 205 of the cover sheet 105 is located in the cover sheet preparation area 206 for fixing and controlling the movement of the cover sheet 105. Thus, the printing device 20 further includes a cover sheet transfer mechanism 207 connected to the cover sheet preparation area 206. Among them, the cover sheet transfer mechanism 207 includes a cover sheet transfer lifting motor 2071, a cover sheet transfer rotating motor 2072, and a cover sheet transfer rotating platform 2073. Similar to the rotating part and the lifting part for the first cover plate 204 described above, each component in the cover sheet transfer mechanism 207 can receive control instructions from the controller to timely transport the cover sheet 105 to the corresponding printing position. In such an embodiment, the controller specifically also needs to be configured to control the cover sheet transfer mechanism 207 to transfer the cover sheet 105 from the cover sheet preparation area 206 to the exposure position after the substrate 101 is located in the above-mentioned exposure space, and the effect after transfer is as Figure 8 shown. After the transfer, the cover sheet 105 and the substrate 101 are bonded by curing the first printed material layer. After printing is completed, the cover sheet transfer mechanism 207 can also withdraw the cover sheet preparation area 206 to the initial position until the next printing, and the state at this time is as Figure 9 shown.

[0049] The foregoing has described some structural features in the printing device 20 shown in reference to Figures 2 - 9 As described above, the printing device 20 can be applicable to the manufacturing method 10 shown in reference to Figure 1 or some variants thereof. The following introduces the manufacturing method of the microfluidic chip proposed in some other preferred embodiments of the present application in combination with the printing device 20 on the basis of the manufacturing method 10 shown in Figure 1 shown.

[0050] As previously proposed, the substrate in the manufacturing method 10 shown in reference to Figure 1 can be prepared by means of lithography and other means in the prior art, but can also be prepared using the three-dimensional printing device proposed in the present application. In such an embodiment, the step of preparing the substrate with microchannels in step 11 shown in reference to Figure 1 specifically includes: layer-by-layer printing the substrate 101 in the printing device 20 in the order from the second surface 103 to the first surface 102 until the top layer corresponding to the first surface 102 is printed. In such an embodiment, referring to Figure 6 , the step of pressing the cover sheet 105 on the first surface 102 of the substrate 101 includes pressing the cover sheet 105 on the top layer.

[0051] Exemplarily, referring to Figure 4, the steps of layer-by-layer printing the substrate 101 include reducing the distance between the first cover plate 204 of the printing device 20 and the forming platform 203 to a predetermined distance, so that there is a second printing material layer between the first cover plate 204 and the substrate 1010 to be formed located on the forming platform 203; using the light source 202 of the printing device 20 to expose the second printing material layer; and after printing the substrate 101, removing the first cover plate 204 and adjusting the focal length for exposing the first printing material layer, or readjusting the distance between the first cover plate 204 and the substrate 101, so that the distance meets the focal length requirement for the light source 202 to expose the first printing material layer.

[0052] Exemplarily, referring to Figure 6 , the method for manufacturing a microfluidic chip proposed in this application further includes placing the cover plate 105 in the cover plate preparation area 206 of the printing device 20. In such an embodiment, the above Figure 1 The step of pressing the cover plate 105 on the first surface 102 of the substrate 101 in step 12 shown further includes: transferring the cover plate 105 from the cover plate preparation area 206 to the printing area through the cover plate transfer mechanism 207 of the printing device 20 and pressing it on the first surface 102 of the substrate 101.

[0053] Preferably, before pressing the cover plate 105 on the first surface 102 of the substrate 101, it further includes assembling electrodes onto the cover plate 105. After adopting such a method, a microfluidic chip can be obtained without more preparation steps for installing electrodes after bonding the substrate 101 and the cover plate 105, further optimizing the preparation process.

[0054] To better understand the method for manufacturing a microfluidic chip and the three-dimensional printing device proposed in this application, the following will introduce the method for manufacturing a microfluidic chip involved in this embodiment in its entirety according to Figures 2 - 9 .

[0055] First, referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , in the Figure 2 shown initial state, in response to the control instruction of the controller, the first cover plate 204 is moved to the exposure position in the exposure space by controlling the rotation part and the lifting part of the first cover plate 204. This exposure position is also the position where the first cover plate 204 is located facing the light source 202 when the printing device 20 normally prints any three-dimensional model. Next, the substrate 101 is printed by the printing device 20, and when the printing is not completed, it presents the pattern of the substrate 1010 to be formed as shown in Figure 4 . Continuing to refer to Figure 5 , finally printing to the top layer located on the first surface 102, the substrate 101 is completed printing in the printing device 20. Among them, Figure 5 shows the state where the first surface 102 is not flat due to the printing or release process when printing this top layer. ThereforeFigure 5 The first surface 102 in shows an uneven pattern; meanwhile, in this embodiment, during the process of printing the substrate 101, according to the actual requirements of the microfluidic chip to be prepared, a first microchannel 104 is left on the first surface 102.

[0056] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the substrate 101 is pre-processed in the printing device for bonding printing. Of course, the present application is not limited thereto. In some other embodiments, the substrate of the microfluidic chip can be prepared based on means such as lithography. In such embodiments, the Figures 3 - 5 stage can be directly skipped, and the preparation can be directly carried out from the state shown in Figure 6 In this embodiment, since the printing of the substrate 101 has been completed, the first cover plate 204 can be moved from the exposure position to the rest area. As described above, this rest area can partially or completely coincide with the exposure area (that is, it is completely in the exposure position in the exposure space or completely leaves this exposure position), or it can also completely leave the exposure area and return to the initial position as shown in Figure 2 . It should be noted that, in some production cases, if it is set that the rest area completely coincides with the exposure area, it means that when bonding the substrate 101 and the cover sheet 105, the first cover plate 204 is still in the path of the light source irradiating the forming platform 203. However, since the cover sheet 105 also has light-transmitting materials such as glass at this time, the exposure focal length of the light source 202 still needs to be adjusted jointly according to the thickness of the first cover plate 204 and the thickness of the glass in the cover sheet 105. The following continues to describe an example in which the first cover plate 204 completely leaves the exposure area after the printing of the substrate 101 is completed with reference to Figures 6 - 9 .

[0057] According to Figure 6 , the cover sheet 105 is clamped by the cover sheet clamping mechanism 205 so that it is located above the substrate 101. Then, through the combined action of the forming platform 203, the cover sheet clamping mechanism 205 and the cover sheet transfer mechanism 207, the bonding surface between the substrate 101 and the cover sheet 105 is partially immersed in the material cylinder 201, so that the bonding surface part has a first printing material layer. Further, considering that the glass thickness and material of the cover sheet 105 may be different from the dimensional parameters of the first cover plate 204 and other situations, the exposure focal length of the light source 202 can be reconfirmed or adjusted at this time. Next, refer to Figure 7 , expose the first printing material layer and at the same time avoid the area corresponding to the first microchannel 104 to bond the substrate 101 and the cover sheet 105. It can be clearly seen from Figure 7 that, compared with Figure 5 , the originally uneven top layer of the substrate 101 has also been improved to a flat state due to the immersion and exposure of the printing material. The above-described equipment state of printing the bonding surface part can also be referred to Figure 8as shown. Finally, referring to Figure 9 The completed microfluidic chip remains on the forming platform 203, and the cover sheet preparation area 206 can also return to its initial state.

[0058] The method for manufacturing a microfluidic chip and the 3D printing device proposed in this application are improvements based on traditional 3D printing devices, and can optimize and improve the last step in the preparation process of the microfluidic chip, namely the bonding step. This application cleverly utilizes the property that the electrode glass in the microfluidic chip can transmit light, and directly places the bonding step in the 3D printing device, greatly optimizing the preparation means of the microfluidic chip. In some preferred embodiments, especially in the case where the substrate preparation and the bonding surface preparation are completed in the same 3D printing device, the first cover plate in the 3D printing device is designed to be movable freely in space, and at the same time, the cover sheet preparation area is prepared, so that the bonding surface can be cured directly after the substrate is printed, the processing technology is smooth, and problems such as uneven bonding surface will not occur, which has high applicability and outstanding preparation effect.

[0059] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above application disclosure is only an example and does not constitute a limitation to this application. Although not explicitly stated here, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and corrections to this application. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are proposed in this application, so such modifications, improvements, and corrections still belong to the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

[0060] At the same time, this application uses specific terms to describe the embodiments of this application. Such as "one embodiment", "an embodiment", and / or "some embodiments" mean a certain feature, structure, or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that the "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more at different positions in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this application can be combined appropriately.

[0061] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the expression of this application disclosure and thus help the understanding of one or more application embodiments, in the previous description of the embodiments of this application, sometimes multiple features are merged into one embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the features required by the object of this application are more than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the features of the embodiment are less than all the features of the single embodiment disclosed above.

[0062] In some embodiments, numbers are used to describe components and the quantity of attributes. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of embodiments are, in some examples, modified by the modifiers "about", "approximately" or "substantially". Unless otherwise stated, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" indicate that the stated number allows a variation of ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximate values, which may vary according to the characteristics required by individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should consider the specified significant digits and adopt the method of retaining the general number of digits. Although the numerical ranges and parameters used in some embodiments of the present application to confirm the breadth of their scope are approximate values, in specific embodiments, such numerical settings are as precise as possible within the feasible range.

[0063] Although the present application has been described with reference to the current specific embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application, and various equivalent changes or substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present application. Therefore, as long as the changes and modifications of the above embodiments are within the scope of the spirit of the present application, they will fall within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printing device suitable for manufacturing a microfluidic chip, the three-dimensional printing device comprising: A material cylinder adapted to load printing materials; A light source located above the material cylinder; A forming platform disposed in the material cylinder in a liftable manner, the forming platform being adapted to carry a substrate of the microfluidic chip having microchannels, the substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, wherein the first surface faces the light source, and there is an exposure space for exposure between the light source and the forming platform; A first cover plate movably disposed at an exposure position in the exposure space or a rest area outside the exposure position, the first cover plate being adapted to enter the exposure space and stay at the exposure position, or reach the rest area after leaving the exposure position, wherein when the first cover plate is at the exposure position, the light-transmitting area of the first cover plate is aligned with the light source; A clamping mechanism for clamping a cover plate of the microfluidic chip; and A controller configured to, after controlling the first cover plate to leave the exposure position and reach the rest area, control the clamping mechanism to move to press the cover plate on the first surface of the substrate, so that there is a first printing material layer between the cover plate and the substrate, and control the light source to expose the first printing material layer to bond the substrate and the cover plate.

2. The three-dimensional printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a first cover plate movement mechanism, including a rotation part and a lifting part, the rotation part being adapted to control the first cover plate to rotate in the horizontal direction, and the lifting part being adapted to control the first cover plate to move in the vertical direction.

3. The three-dimensional printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The microchannels include first microchannels located on the first surface, and the controller is further adapted to avoid the area corresponding to the first microchannels when controlling the light source to expose the first printing material layer.

4. The three-dimensional printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller is further configured to, before pressing the cover plate on the first surface of the substrate, control the first cover plate to enter the exposure space, and control the light source and the forming platform to layer-print the substrate in the order from the second surface to the first surface until the top layer corresponding to the first surface is printed; Then press the cover plate on the top layer.

5. The three-dimensional printing device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The controller is further configured to layer-print the substrate as follows: Reduce the distance between the first cover plate and the forming platform to a predetermined distance, so that there is a second printing material layer between the first cover plate and the substrate to be formed of the forming platform; Control the light source to expose the second printing material layer; And, after printing the substrate, the controller is further configured to control the first cover plate to leave the exposure position and reach the rest area, and readjust the focal length for exposing the first printing material layer.

6. The three-dimensional printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, It further includes: A cover plate preparation area for carrying one or more cover plates; A cover plate transfer mechanism connected to the cover plate preparation area; Wherein, the controller is further configured to, after the substrate is in the exposure space, control the cover plate transfer mechanism to transfer a cover plate from the cover plate preparation area to the exposure position.

7. A method for manufacturing a microfluidic chip, suitable for the three-dimensional printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the manufacturing method comprising the following steps: Prepare a substrate with microchannels, the substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, the microchannels including first microchannels located on the first surface; Press a cover sheet on the first surface of the substrate, and have a first printing material layer between the cover sheet and the substrate; And Expose the first printing material layer while avoiding the area corresponding to the first microchannels, so as to bond the substrate and the cover sheet.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The step of preparing a substrate with microchannels includes: forming the microchannels on the substrate by photolithography, micro-nano imprinting or mechanical engraving.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein The step of preparing a substrate with microchannels includes: layer-by-layer printing the substrate in a three-dimensional printing device in the order from the second surface to the first surface until the top layer corresponding to the first surface is printed; Wherein, the step of pressing a cover sheet on the first surface of the substrate includes: pressing the cover sheet on the top layer.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The step of layer-by-layer printing the substrate includes: Reduce the distance between the first cover plate of the three-dimensional printing device and the forming platform to a predetermined distance, so that there is a second printing material layer between the first cover plate and the substrate to be formed located on the forming platform; Use the light source of the three-dimensional printing device to expose the second printing material layer; and After printing the substrate, remove the first cover plate and adjust the focal length for exposing the first printing material layer, or readjust the distance between the first cover plate and the substrate so that the distance meets the focal length requirement for the light source to expose the first printing material layer.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein It further includes placing the cover sheet in the cover sheet preparation area of the three-dimensional printing device, and the step of pressing the cover sheet on the first surface of the substrate includes: transferring the cover sheet from the cover sheet preparation area to the printing area by the transfer mechanism of the three-dimensional printing device and pressing it on the first surface of the substrate.

12. The method according to claim 7 or 11, characterized in that, Before pressing the cover sheet on the first surface of the substrate, it further includes assembling an electrode onto the cover sheet.

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