High Precision Method for Sequential Micro-Contact Printing of Multiple Aligned Patterns

High quality surface patterns of macromolecules are a key component of many microfluidic and microstructured devices. The technique of microcontact printing uses an elastomeric stamp to selectively transfer molecules to a pretreated substrate, and it has emerged as one of the most ubiquitous and versatile ways of creating micropattnered surfaces. This technique is especially well suited for transferring a single chemical pattern, but many chemically and biologically relevant surfaces require multiple complementary molecular patterns. The research demonstrated here utilizes a high-precision passive alignment system to generate these patterns using sequential microcontact printing steps. The technique relies on mechanical alignment and does not require optical alignment of each stamp; the resulting data shows a placement variation of less than 5 μm.Copyright © 2009 by ASME