Open-Space Microfluidics

Chapter 1Hydrodynamic Flow Confinement Using a Microfluidic Probe

Emmanuel Delamarche, Robert D. Lovchik, Julien F. Cors and Govind V. Kaigala

IBM Research – Zurich, Säumerstrasse 4, 8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland

1.1 Introduction

Photolithography, the art of patterning surfaces using light projected through an optical mask and chemicals sensitive to light, reached an extraordinary level of sophistication for producing microelectronic components reaching sub-20 nm dimensions on a massive manufacturing scale with extremely high yields. While photolithography had started in the 1960s for fabricating integrated circuits, it essentially remained confined to the structuring and modification of inorganic surfaces and materials. Strong progress on ...