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. 1998 Jun 1;70(11):2280-7.
doi: 10.1021/ac971295a.

Fabricating large arrays of microwells with arbitrary dimensions and filling them using discontinuous dewetting

R J Jackman  1 , D C Duffy, E Ostuni, N D Willmore, G M Whitesides
Affiliations

Fabricating large arrays of microwells with arbitrary dimensions and filling them using discontinuous dewetting

R J Jackman et al. Anal Chem. .

Abstract

This paper describes the fabrication of large (up to 45 cm(2)) arrays of microwells, with volumes as small as ∼3 fL/well and densities as high as 10(7) wells/cm(2). These arrays of microwells are formed by casting an elastomer, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), against "masters" prepared by photolithography; arrays of microwells in other polymers can be formed by using a master consisting of posts in PDMS. A straightforward technique, discontinuous dewetting, allows wells to be filled rapidly (typically on the order of 10(4) wells/s) and uniformly with a wide range of liquids. Several rudimentary strategies for addressing microwells are investigated, including electroosmotic pumping and gaseous diffusion.

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