A disposable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microdevices for DNA amplification with low power consumption

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) microchip has become an important tool in a molecular biological research. Many researchers have attempt to improve the efficiency of the device in terms of type of materials, fabrication process, temperature control system, design of the device, detection methods, etc. In this study, we demonstrate the disposable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchip provided for DNA amplification. The devices consists of two mainly parts, first part is PDMS static chamber that casting on Silicon (Si) mold that bonded with thin glass sheet by RF plasma cleaner. The other parts are Pt-microheater and Pt-temperature sensor on SiO₂/Si substrate. The thin film Pt-microheater and Pt-temperature sensor (RTD) were fabricated with CMOS compatible process. In the results, with 10 ¿l of PCR mixture volume, the approximately 700 bp DNA were successfully amplified within 50 minutes by 32 PCR cycles. The amplified products were comparable with conventional method by agarose gel electrophoresis method. With this PCR chip we can save cost by reducing the reagents volume, time consuming and repeatable fabrication. Further information about microchip fabrication and application will be presented.