Micro-fluidic chip bonding jig and micro-fluidic chip bonding method

Abstract

The invention discloses a micro-fluidic chip bonding jig and a micro-fluidic chip bonding method.The micro-fluidic chip bonding jig comprises an upper jig body and a lower jig body, chip mounting positions of the lower jig body comprise a lower pole plate mounting position used for mounting a lower pole plate of a micro-fluidic chip and an upper pole plate mounting position used for mounting an upper pole plate of the micro-fluidic chip; the upper polar plate mounting position is partially overlapped above the upper polar plate mounting position, and the upper jig is arranged above the lower jig and is used for pressing a lower polar plate of the micro-fluidic chip and an upper polar plate of the micro-fluidic chip; and at least two adjacent chip mounting positions are arranged on the lower jig. Before the micro-fluidic chip is bonded, the upper polar plate of the micro-fluidic chip is installed in the upper polar plate installation position of one chip installation position, the lower polar plate of the micro-fluidic chip is installed in the lower polar plate installation position of the other chip installation position, and when the micro-fluidic chip needs to be formed through bonding, the upper polar plate is moved to the lower polar plate according to a fixed stroke through a moving mechanism. The mounting efficiency is effectively improved; the cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of microfluidic technology, and in particular relates to a microfluidic chip bonding jig and a microfluidic chip bonding method. Background Art

[0002] Microfluidic chips are an important branch of micro-total analysis systems. They can manipulate fluids at the micrometer scale by integrating basic operating units in the fields of chemistry and biology, such as sample preparation, separation, detection, cell culture, etc. At present, microfluidic chips have shown great potential in detection in the biological and chemical fields, as well as in the fields of IVD and cell sorting. Microfluidic chips need to be bonded and packaged.

[0003] The bonding of microfluidic chips mainly involves two processes: alignment and pressing. The internal flow channels of the chip must not be damaged. In addition, during the liquid injection test and other experiments on the microfluidic chip, the temperature, humidity and overall integrity of the internal flow channels of the microfluidic chip need to be controlled.

[0004] Currently, the alignment and bonding of microfluidic chips rely on high-precision CCD visual feedback and high-precision mechanical coordinate adjustment. During the bonding process, the photoresist flow channel area is easily squeezed and damaged. During the bonding process, mechanical fixtures such as pressure blocks are used to press and fix the electrode plates on the chip before curing.

[0005] However, the prior art has the following problems:

[0006] 1. Using high-precision CCD vision system for bonding alignment is costly and inefficient.

[0007] Second, the existing microfluidic chip bonding jig needs to be assisted by mechanical jigs for solidification, which will affect the internal structure of the microchannel. Summary of the invention

[0008] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a microfluidic chip bonding fixture to address the existing problems, including:

[0009] A lower fixture is provided with a chip mounting position, wherein the chip mounting position includes a lower electrode plate mounting position for mounting a lower electrode plate of a microfluidic chip, and an upper electrode plate mounting position for mounting an upper electrode plate of the microfluidic chip, wherein the upper electrode plate mounting position partially overlaps above the upper electrode plate mounting position, and the upper electrode plate mounting position is connected to the lower electrode plate mounting position, and

[0010] An upper fixture is disposed above the lower fixture and is used to press the lower electrode plate of the microfluidic chip and the upper electrode plate of the microfluidic chip;

[0011] At least two adjacent chip mounting positions are provided on the lower fixture.

[0012] Preferably, the lower fixture is further provided with a finger-holding position, each of the chip mounting positions is spaced apart from the lower electrode plate mounting position, and the finger-holding position is located below the upper electrode plate mounting position.

[0013] Preferably, a first chamfering position for preventing the chamfer of the lower electrode plate from being damaged is provided on the outer side of the lower electrode plate mounting position, and the number of the first chamfering positions is plural.

[0014] Preferably, a second chamfering position is provided on the outer side of the upper electrode plate mounting position for preventing the chamfer of the upper electrode plate from being damaged, and the number of the second chamfering positions is multiple.

[0015] Preferably, two opposite sides of the lower jig are provided with concave grooves for facilitating the movement of the lower jig.

[0016] Preferably, it also includes a positioning component, which includes a first magnetic attraction structure provided on the lower fixture, and a second magnetic attraction structure provided on the upper fixture, and the first magnetic attraction structure and the second magnetic attraction structure can be magnetically connected.

[0017] Preferably, the lower fixture is provided with a plurality of the first magnetic structures, and the upper fixture is provided with a plurality of the second magnetic structures corresponding to the first magnetic structures.

[0018] Preferably, the positioning assembly further comprises an assembly part arranged on the lower fixture, the upper fixture is provided with an assembly hole corresponding to the assembly part, and the assembly part can be inserted into the assembly hole.

[0019] Preferably, the first magnetic structure protrudes from the lower fixture, a mounting hole corresponding to the first magnetic structure is opened on the upper fixture, the second magnetic structure is arranged in the mounting hole, and the height of the assembly part is lower than the height of the first magnetic structure.

[0020] The present application also provides a microfluidic chip bonding method, using the above-mentioned microfluidic chip bonding fixture, comprising the following steps:

[0021] A microfluidic chip bonding device is provided, wherein a moving mechanism and a pressing mechanism for moving the microfluidic chip are provided in the microfluidic chip bonding device, and a microfluidic chip bonding jig is installed in the microfluidic chip bonding device;

[0022] Installing the lower electrode plate in the lower electrode plate installation position of the lower fixture, installing the upper electrode plate in the adjacent upper electrode plate installation position, and moving the upper electrode plate to above the lower electrode plate by the moving mechanism;

[0023] Pressing the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate together with an upper fixture by a pressing mechanism to form a prefabricated chip;

[0024] The lower fixture on which the prefabricated chip is mounted is subjected to a baking process to form a microfluidic chip.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution disclosed in the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0026] (1) At least two chip mounting positions are set on the lower fixture, and both are provided with a lower electrode plate mounting position and an upper electrode plate mounting position. Before bonding the microfluidic chip, the upper electrode plate of the microfluidic chip is installed in the upper electrode plate mounting position of one chip mounting position, and the lower electrode plate is installed in the lower electrode plate mounting position of another chip mounting position. When bonding to form a microfluidic chip is required, the upper electrode plate can be moved to the lower electrode plate according to a fixed stroke by a moving mechanism, and no precision CCD vision system is required to participate in bonding alignment, which effectively improves installation efficiency and reduces costs; (2) An upper electrode plate mounting position and a lower electrode plate mounting position are set in a single chip mounting position, and the sizes correspond to the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate, respectively, so that after the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate are aligned and installed, the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate can be bonded to form a microfluidic chip by pressing and baking, without the need for additional fixtures to assist in curing, and will not affect the internal structure of the microchannel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] By referring to the following drawings, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be more completely understood. The drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present application, and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present application, they are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals generally represent the same parts or steps.

[0028] Figure 1 A structural diagram of a microfluidic chip bonding fixture provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 A structural diagram of a lower electrode plate provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of the middle A area;

[0031] Figure 4 A structural diagram of an upper electrode plate provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Reference numerals

[0033] 10-lower fixture; 11-chip mounting position; 111-lower plate mounting position; 1111-first chamfering position;

[0034] 112-upper plate mounting position; 1121-second chamfering position; 12-handle position; 13-concave groove;

[0035] 20- Upper fixture;

[0036] 30 - positioning component; 31 - first magnetic attraction structure; 33 - mounting hole; 34 - assembly part; 35 - assembly hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided in order to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0038] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0040] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0041] Example 1

[0042] See also Figure 1-Figure 4 The present application embodiment provides a microfluidic chip bonding fixture, including a lower fixture 20 and a lower fixture 10,

[0043] A chip mounting position 11 is provided at the top of the lower fixture 10. The chip mounting position 11 includes a lower plate mounting position 111 for mounting a lower plate (not shown) of a microfluidic chip (not shown), and an upper plate mounting position 112 for mounting an upper plate (not shown) of the microfluidic chip. The upper plate mounting position 112 partially overlaps the upper plate mounting position 112, and the upper plate mounting position 112 is connected to the lower plate mounting position 111. The upper plate mounting position 112 and the lower plate mounting position 111 are arranged vertically and crosswise.

[0044] The lower fixture 20 is disposed above the lower fixture 10 and is used to press the lower electrode plate of the microfluidic chip and the upper electrode plate of the microfluidic chip to bond and form the microfluidic chip;

[0045] At least two adjacent chip mounting positions 11 are disposed on the lower fixture 10 .

[0046] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution disclosed in the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0047] (1) At least two chip mounting positions 11 are arranged on the lower fixture 10, and both are provided with a lower electrode plate mounting position 111 and an upper electrode plate mounting position 112. Before bonding the microfluidic chip, the upper electrode plate of the microfluidic chip is installed in the upper electrode plate mounting position 112 of one chip mounting position 11, and the lower electrode plate is installed in the lower electrode plate mounting position 111 of another chip mounting position 11. When bonding to form a microfluidic chip is required, the upper electrode plate can be moved to the lower electrode plate according to a fixed stroke by a moving mechanism, and no precision CCD vision system is required to participate in bonding alignment, thereby effectively improving installation efficiency and reducing costs; (2) An upper electrode plate mounting position 112 and a lower electrode plate mounting position 111 are arranged in a single chip mounting position 11, and the sizes thereof correspond to those of the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate, respectively, so that after the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate are aligned and installed, the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate can be bonded to form a microfluidic chip by pressing and baking, without the need for additional fixtures to assist in curing, and without affecting the internal structure of the microchannel.

[0048] Specifically, see Figure 2 The lower fixture 10 and the lower fixture 20 are both made of aluminum alloy material, which can ensure that the surface is flat and smooth, and can ensure that the manufacturing precision of the lower fixture 10 and the lower fixture 20 is high, and the microfluidic chip bonding fixture can be accurately installed.

[0049] Specifically, see Figure 2 The centers of the upper electrode plate mounting position 112 and the lower electrode plate mounting position 111 are coaxial, so that when the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate need to be moved to correspond to each other by the moving mechanism, it is only necessary to move the upper electrode plate to the top of the lower electrode plate according to a fixed stroke and action.

[0050] Two adjacent chip mounting positions 11 on the lower fixture 10 are coaxially arranged side by side so that their centers correspond to each other, further simplifying the steps of moving the moving mechanism.

[0051] In one embodiment, see Figure 1-Figure 2 , the lower fixture 10 is also provided with a gripping position 12, each chip mounting position 11 is spaced apart from the lower plate mounting position 111, and the gripping position 12 is located below the upper plate mounting position 112. By providing the gripping position 12, when the microfluidic chip is bonded, it is convenient to remove the microfluidic chip from the chip mounting position 11. The gripping position 12 can be a circular groove or a groove of other shapes on the lower fixture 10. It is only necessary to connect the gripping position 12 with the upper plate so that the microfluidic chip can be easily removed. The specific shape of the gripping position 12 is not limited here.

[0052] In one embodiment, see Figure 3 , a first chamfering position 1111 for preventing damage to the chamfer of the lower plate is provided on the outer side of the lower plate mounting position 111, and the number of the first chamfering position 1111 is multiple; a second chamfering position 1121 for preventing damage to the chamfer of the upper plate is provided on the outer side of the upper plate mounting position 112, and the number of the second chamfering position 1121 is multiple. Specifically, if the upper plate is a square structure, there are four chamfers, that is, four first chamfering positions 1111, and the number of the first chamfering positions 1111 and the second chamfering positions 1121 corresponds to the specific shapes of the lower plate and the upper plate. The shape of the chamfering position can be circular, so that the chamfers of the upper plate and the lower plate can have avoidance positions to avoid damage to the upper plate and the lower plate.

[0053] In one embodiment, see Figure 2 , concave grooves 13 are provided on opposite sides of the lower fixture 10 to facilitate the movement of the lower fixture 10. When the lower fixture 20 presses the lower fixture 10 so that the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate are pressed together, baking is required to bond them to form a microfluidic chip. Therefore, the concave grooves 13 are provided to facilitate the movement of the lower fixture 10 into the baking device and to facilitate the subsequent removal from the baking device.

[0054] In one embodiment, see Figure 2 and Figure 4 The microfluidic chip bonding jig also includes a positioning component 30, which includes a first magnetic structure 31 provided on the lower jig 10, and a second magnetic structure (not shown in the figure) provided on the lower jig 20, and the first magnetic structure 31 and the second magnetic structure can be magnetically connected. By setting the first magnetic structure 31 and the second magnetic structure, and providing a plurality of first magnetic structures 31 on the lower jig 10, and providing a plurality of second magnetic structures corresponding to each first magnetic structure 31 on the lower jig 20, the lower jig 20 can be uniformly pressed on the lower jig 10, so that it is pressed tightly, ensuring that the upper and lower plates are flat, and the internal flow channel is tightly bonded to the lower plate without loosening or debonding.

[0055] In one embodiment, see Figure 2 and Figure 4 The positioning assembly 30 also includes an assembly part 34 disposed on the lower fixture 10. The lower fixture 20 is provided with an assembly hole 35 corresponding to the assembly part 34, and the assembly part 34 can be inserted into the assembly hole 35. The assembly part 34 is a columnar structure, and the top of the assembly part 34 is an arc-shaped structure or a conical structure, so that the top of the assembly part 34 can be easily inserted into the assembly hole 35, and the middle and lower parts of the assembly part 34 are kept consistent in size, so that the assembly part 34 will not shake after being inserted into the assembly hole 35. In this way, the top of the assembly part 34 has a guiding effect on the alignment of the lower fixture 20 and the lower fixture 10, and the middle and lower parts of the assembly part 34 can make the alignment accuracy of the lower fixture 20 and the lower fixture 10 high.

[0056] In one embodiment, see Figure 2 The first magnetic structure 31 protrudes from the lower fixture 10, and a mounting hole 33 corresponding to the first magnetic structure 31 is provided on the lower fixture 20. The second magnetic structure is arranged in the mounting hole 33, and the height of the assembly part 34 is lower than the height of the first magnetic structure 31. After the magnetic structure is roughly positioned, it is precisely positioned through the assembly part 34, which can further effectively improve the accuracy requirement.

[0057] The specific process of bonding the microfluidic chip is as follows: first install the lower fixture 10 of the microfluidic chip bonding fixture on a microfluidic chip bonding device, first place the lower electrode plate in the lower electrode plate mounting position 111 of a chip mounting position 11, and then place the upper electrode plate in the upper electrode plate mounting position 112 of another adjacent chip mounting position 11, and then use a moving mechanism to move the upper electrode plate to the top of the lower electrode plate. By moving the upper electrode plate by the moving structure, damage to the microfluidic channel can be avoided. After the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate are aligned and installed, the lower fixture 20 is moved to the top of the lower fixture 10 by the moving mechanism, and the first magnetic attraction structure 31 is inserted into the mounting hole 33, and the assembly part 34 is inserted into the assembly hole 35. At this time, the lower fixture 20 is pressed down, and the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate are pressed together to form a prefabricated chip. Then the lower fixture 20 is removed, and the lower fixture 10 with the prefabricated chip is baked to form a bonded microfluidic chip.

[0058] Example 2

[0059] The present application also provides a microfluidic chip bonding method, using the above-mentioned microfluidic chip bonding fixture, comprising the following steps:

[0060] A microfluidic chip bonding device is provided, wherein a moving mechanism and a pressing mechanism for moving the microfluidic chip are provided in the microfluidic chip bonding device, and a microfluidic chip bonding jig is installed in the microfluidic chip bonding device;

[0061] Install the lower electrode plate in the lower electrode plate installation position 111 of the lower fixture 10, install the upper electrode plate in the adjacent upper electrode plate installation position 112, and move the upper electrode plate to the top of the lower electrode plate by the moving mechanism;

[0062] The lower fixture 20 is pressed together with the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate by a pressing mechanism to form a prefabricated chip;

[0063] The lower fixture 10 with the prefabricated chip mounted thereon is subjected to a baking process to form a microfluidic chip.

[0064] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit it. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein by equivalents. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and they should all be included in the scope of the claims and specification of the present application.

Claims

1. A microfluidic chip bonding fixture, characterized in that: include: A lower fixture is provided with a chip mounting position, wherein the chip mounting position includes a lower electrode plate mounting position for mounting a lower electrode plate of a microfluidic chip, and an upper electrode plate mounting position for mounting an upper electrode plate of the microfluidic chip, wherein the upper electrode plate mounting position partially overlaps above the upper electrode plate mounting position, and the upper electrode plate mounting position is connected to the lower electrode plate mounting position, and An upper fixture is disposed above the lower fixture and is used to press the lower electrode plate of the microfluidic chip and the upper electrode plate of the microfluidic chip; At least two adjacent chip mounting positions are provided on the lower fixture.

2. A microfluidic chip bonding jig according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower fixture is also provided with a hand-grip position, each chip mounting position is arranged at an interval from the lower electrode plate mounting position, and the hand-grip position is located below the upper electrode plate mounting position.

3. A microfluidic chip bonding jig according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first chamfering position is provided on the outer side of the lower electrode plate installation position for preventing the chamfer of the lower electrode plate from being damaged, and the number of the first chamfering positions is multiple.

4. A microfluidic chip bonding jig according to claim 1, characterized in that: A second chamfering position is provided on the outer side of the upper electrode plate mounting position for preventing the chamfer of the upper electrode plate from being damaged, and the number of the second chamfering positions is multiple.

5. The microfluidic chip bonding jig according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two opposite sides of the lower fixture are provided with concave grooves for facilitating the movement of the lower fixture.

6. A microfluidic chip bonding jig according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a positioning component, which includes a first magnetic attraction structure provided on the lower fixture, and a second magnetic attraction structure provided on the upper fixture, and the first magnetic attraction structure and the second magnetic attraction structure can be magnetically connected.

7. A microfluidic chip bonding jig according to claim 6, characterized in that: The lower fixture is provided with a plurality of the first magnetic structures, and the upper fixture is provided with a plurality of the second magnetic structures corresponding to the first magnetic structures.

8. The microfluidic chip bonding jig according to claim 6, characterized in that: The positioning assembly also includes an assembly part arranged on the lower fixture, and the upper fixture is provided with an assembly hole corresponding to the assembly part, and the assembly part can be inserted into the assembly hole.

9. A microfluidic chip bonding jig according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first magnetic structure protrudes from the lower fixture, a mounting hole corresponding to the first magnetic structure is opened on the upper fixture, the second magnetic structure is arranged in the mounting hole, and the height of the assembly part is lower than the height of the first magnetic structure.

10. A microfluidic chip bonding method, characterized in that: The microfluidic chip bonding fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 9 comprises the following steps: A microfluidic chip bonding device is provided, wherein a moving mechanism and a pressing mechanism for moving the microfluidic chip are provided in the microfluidic chip bonding device, and a microfluidic chip bonding jig is installed in the microfluidic chip bonding device; Installing the lower electrode plate in the lower electrode plate installation position of the lower fixture, installing the upper electrode plate in the adjacent upper electrode plate installation position, and moving the upper electrode plate to above the lower electrode plate by the moving mechanism; Pressing the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate together with an upper fixture by a pressing mechanism to form a prefabricated chip; The lower fixture on which the prefabricated chip is mounted is subjected to a baking process to form a microfluidic chip.

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