Novel coating process for advanced labs-on-a-chip applications Recent advances in the field of microelectronics made possible the development of a prototype silicon chip with microfluidic add-ons for manipulation of single cells. Digital Economy © Corel Transparent conductive coatings are used in a broad spectrum of applications ranging from cutting edge display applications (flat display, touch screens) to electro-magnetic shielding and electrical heating. Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) is one of the most widely commercially available coating materials because of its high quality optical properties and excellent durability. Particularly for optoelectronic devices, the deposition process involves a high temperature-annealing step for crystallisation of the ITO deposited layer on planar glass substrates. Most interestingly, ITO is considered an ideal transparent electrode for biofluidic applications. Not until recently, polymers have begun to receive a greater acceptance as substrates, especially for development of Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED) technology. This technology aimed at display devices is gradually replacing LCD because it is thinner, faster, lighter, less power consuming and less expensive. Nevertheless despite the extensive research on low temperature deposition of ITO on polymer foils, it is still under development. A key issue that is still under investigation for a deposition process similar to one used for planar substrates is the optimisation of transparency in the visible spectrum. The Microelectronic Device for Individual Cell Sorting (MEDICS) involves an optical fluorescence microscope for observation through the transparent and non-fluorescent fluidic cap. On this cap the deposition of a counter electrode is responsible for the creation of dielectrophoretic force field for cell observation. Meeting key requirements of biological and fluidic compatibility, a low temperature ITO deposition process has been developed using a DC magnetron sputtering process for homogeneous large area coating. The produced optical coatings displayed unprecedented electrical and optical qualities along with excellent mechanical adhesion behaviour of the ITO layer on a polymer surface. More information can be found at: http://www.siliconbiosystems.com/MeDICS/
