Method for bonding plastic micro chip

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of bonding upper and lower substrates for manufacturing a plastic micro chip comprising the upper substrate, the lower substrate and a sample filling space having a predetermined height for filling a sample between the upper and lower substrates. According to the method, the upper and lower substrates are bonded by introducing an organic solvent between the upper and lower substrates. In addition, the invention provides a method of manufacturing a micro chip using the method and a micro chip manufactured according to the method. According to the invention, it is possible to easily and precisely bond the upper and lower substrates of the plastic micro chip.

1 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . A method for bonding a substrate, the method comprising:
 providing a first substrate;   providing a second substrate over the first substrate, the first and second substrates defining a fine channel; and   introducing an organic solvent into the fine channel in order to bond the first and second substrates, the organic solvent propagating by capillary force into a bonding region defined by the first and second substrates, the bonding region being adjacent to the fine channel,   wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded to each other at the bonding region and define a sample filling space.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the fine channel has a height and a width such that the organic solvent is made to propagate through the channel via only capillary forces without applying pressure on the first and second substrates in excess of that required to hold the first and second substrates in place while the first and second substrates are bonded together using the organic solvent. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first substrate includes a recess and the second substrate includes a substantially planar surface, the fine channel being defined by the recess of the first substrate and the substantially planar surface of the second substrate. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein only a few microliters of organic solvent are introduced into the fine channel. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising applying a plasma treatment to the bonding region of the first substrate to facilitate flow of the organic solvent thereon. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the fine channel has a height of approximately 100 μm or less. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the organic solvent includes ketones, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, cyanoacrylate compounds or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the organic solvent is acetone, chloroform, methylene chloride, ethylcyanoacrylate, carbon tetrachloride, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first and second substrates are comprised of polyethylene derivatives, polymethylmethacrylate, or acryl-based plastic materials. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the polyethelene derivatives include polycarbonate, polystyrene, polypropylene, or polyethyleneterephthalate. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the bonding region separates a sample filling space from the fine channel. 
     
     
         19 . A method for bonding a substrate, the method comprising:
 providing a first substrate;   providing a second substrate over the first substrate, the first and second substrates defining a channel, a sample filling space, and a bonding region provided between the channel and the sample filling space; and   introducing an organic solvent into the channel in order to bond the first and second substrates, the channel having a height and a width suitable for causing the organic solvent to propagate through the channel via only capillary force.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the organic solvent flows into the bonding region via only capillary force. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the first and second substrates are held in place while the organic solvent propagates through the channel and flows into the bonding region via only capillary force, the first and second substrates being held in place without applying pressure on the first and second substrates in excess of that required to hold the first and second substrates together while the first and second substrates are bonded using the organic solvent.