AVS 50th International Symposium
    Biomaterial Interfaces Wednesday Sessions
       Session BI-WeP

Paper BI-WeP2
Simple Fabrication of Polymer Thin Films with Lithographic Bas-relief Micro-pattern and Self-organized Micro-porous Structure

Wednesday, November 5, 2003, 11:00 am, Room Hall A-C

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: T.A. Ohzono, RIKEN, Japan
Authors: T.A. Ohzono, RIKEN, Japan
T. Nishikawa, RIKEN, Japan
M.A. Shimomura, RIKEN, Japan
Correspondent: Click to Email
The cost of making micro scale components through conventional lithographic techniques increases depending on the degree of design complexity. Whereas, non-lithographic approaches have also been investigated extensively to reduce or replace the complicated process involved in those lithographic techniques. Therefore, it seems necessary to combine the good aspects of the self-organization process and of the conventional lithography toward the optimum productivity for fabrication of micro scale textures for some practical applications . Adopting such approach, here we show a very simple method for fabrication of a patterned polymer thin film with a hierarchical structure. The structure consists of a bas-relief pattern at tens of microns and the ordered array of pores with diameters of 4-5 µm. The former pattern is originally fabricated through conventional photolithography. The latter emerges from self-organized process, where micrometer-size water droplets condensed on the surface of evaporating solutions are spontaneously arranged. The film is self-supporting. It is possible to control by the polymer concentration whether the film is bottomless, partially bottomless, or not. The bio-compatible polymer of the lactic-acid can be used as the material. The film with the novel structure will enable us to do patterning of functional particles, of cells, and of bio-sensing elements toward new bio-coupled devices.