A fluidic interconnection system for polymer-based microfluidic devices

A microfabricated fluidic interconnection system for polymer-based microfluidic nebulizer chips is presented and discussed. The new interconnection mechanism can be used to make fluidic connection between external capillary and the polymer microfluidic chip. The connector mechanism was fabricated using a combination of mechanical milling and laser micromachining. Preliminary leakage tests were performed to demonstrate that the interconnection system is leak-free and pressure tests were performed to evaluate the burst pressure (maximum working pressure). The interconnection system has several advantages over commercially available Nanoport™ interconnection system. The new fluidic interconnection system implemented onto a microfluidic nebulizer chip was successfully tested for desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry applications. The performance of the chip using the new connector mechanism was excellent demonstrating the usability of the new connector mechanism.