On-chip cell analysis platform: Implementation of contact fluorescence microscopy in microfluidic chips

Hiroaki Takehara¹, Osawa Kazutaka², Makito Haruta², Toshihiko Noda², Kiyotaka Sasagawa², Takashi Tokuda² and Jun Ohta^2
1 Department of Materials Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 2-11-16, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
² Graduate School of Materials Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
AIP Advances 7, 095213 (2017)

In this research, on-chip cell analysis platform for integrating contact fluorescence microscopy was performed using microfluidic chips. In microfluidic device fabrication, PDMS and ultra-thin glass substrates were bonded using exposure to oxygen plasma. Samco RIE etcher was used for oxygen plasma treatment of the substrates.

Samco offers plasma treatment technologies for microfluidics fabrication. Unique plasma processes enable plasma bonding of substrates such as COP and glass without microchannel pattern collapse because there is no need to implement mechanical pressing and heating for bonding. For more details, please visit the process page below.
Plasma Treatment & Bonding for Polymer Microfluidics

Design concept of a hybrid photo-voltaic/thermal conversion cell for mid-infrared light energy harvester

Yoshiaki Nishijima¹, Ryosuke Komatsu¹, Takuya Yamamura¹, Armandas Balčytis^2,3, Gediminas Seniutinas^2,4, and Saulius Juodkazis^2,5,

¹ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
² Nanotechnology Facility, Centre for Micro-Photonics, Swinburne University of Technology, John St., Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
³ Institute of Physics, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, 231 Savanoriu̧ av., LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania
⁴ Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen CH-5232, Switzerland
⁵ Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, ANFF, 151 Wellington Road, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia
Optical Materials Express 7, 10, pp. 3484-3493 (2017)

Typical silicon-based solar cells have limitation on conversion efficiencies especially at IR wavelengths. Utilization of IR spectra and thermal parts is critical to increase the total efficiency of the solar cells. In this research, a hybrid photovoltaic/thermoelectric conversion system was proposed to maximize conversion efficiencies. Samco ICP-RIE System, RIE-101iPH was used to form black silicon (b-Si) on a silicon substrate.

Optically-rough and physically-flat TCO substrates for superstrate-type thin-film solar cells: Sol-gel Zn_1−xMg_xO coating on reaction-ion etched glass substrates

Lei Meng and Shinsuke Miyajima
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-NE-17, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 2017 172, pp 230-237
Optically-rough and physically-flat transparent conductive oxides (TCO) substrates were created on glass substrates to promote light absorption of solar cells. Al doped Zn1−xMgxO (AZMO) transparent conductive thin film was etched in CFx based plasma using Samco RIE etcher RIE-10NR. The effects of gas mixture composition on etch rate was investigated.

Samco offers multiple types of RIE etchers from tabletop to 450 mm for various applications (plasma etching, photoresist ashing and plasma treatment). For more information on Samco RIE etcher lineup, please visit the product page below.
RIE Etcher (from tabletop to 450 mm)

Low temperature (150°C) wet oxygen annealing of amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors for flexible device applications

M. P. Jallorina, J. P. Bermundo, Y. Ishikawa and Y. Uraoka
Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Materials Science, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192 Japan
2017 24th International Workshop on Active-Matrix Flatpanel Displays and Devices (AM-FPD), Kyoto, Japan, 2017, pp. 203-204.

Low-temperature processing is required in flexible polymer device fabrication because temperature setting is limited by native melting temperature of polymer materials. In this research, several methods of ultraviolet (UV), ozone (O₃) and wet oxygen (Wet O₂) were compared to investigate the effects on the device performance. Samco UV-ozone cleaner UV-1 was used for UV, ozone or UV-ozone processes. The results show that UV & O₃ annealing at 150°C has higher mobility. Samco UV-ozone cleaners are equipped with stage heating (up to 300degC) and ex-situ ozone generator to promote generation of reactive atomic oxygen in thermal ozone dissociation. For more details of our UV-ozone technologies, please visit the product page.
Samco UV-Ozone Cleaner (Tabletop & Production Models)

Printable elastic conductors by in situ formation of silver nanoparticles from silver flakes

Naoji Matsuhisa¹, Daishi Inoue², Peter Zalar^1,3, Hanbit Jin¹, Yorishige Matsuba^1,3, Akira Itoh^1,3, Tomoyuki Yokota^1,3, Daisuke Hashizume² and Takao Someya^1,2,3,4
1Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
²Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
³Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), 2-11-16, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
⁴Thin-Film Device Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
Nature Materials 16, 834–840 (2017)

Someya lab at the University of Tokyo is famous for printable and stretchable electronics for healthcare and wearable device applications. In this research, silver nanoparticles were used as conductive materials in flexible sensor and actuator networks, expecting large-area manufacturing using printing technologies. In the fabrication of stretchable pressure and temperature sensor, Samco UV-ozone cleaner UV-1 was used for UV curing of photoresist PSR-301A. Samco offers multiple systems of surface treatment (plasma cleaning and UV-ozone cleaning) for device fabrication and material research.

Hydrophilic-treated plastic plates for wide-range analysis of Giemsa-stained red blood cells and automated Plasmodium infection rate counting

Muneaki Hashimoto¹, Shouki Yatsushiro¹, Shohei Yamamura¹, Masato Tanaka¹, Hirokazu Sakamoto^1,3, Yusuke Ido¹, Kazuaki Kajimoto¹, Mika Bando², Jun‑ichi Kido² and Masatoshi Kataoka^1
1Health Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 2217‑14, Hayashi‑cho, Takamatsu, Kagawa 761‑0301, Japan.
²Department of Periodontology and Endodontology, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Institute of Health Biosciences, 3‑18‑15 Kuramoto, Tokushima 770‑8504, Japan.
Malar J (2017) 16 321
As a new method of malaria diagnostics, the count of Plasmodium spp. cells in red blood cells (RBCs) using hydrophilic-treated cyclic olefn copolymer (COC) plates was proposed. Oxygen plasma treatment was applied to COC plates in order to modify the surface wettability to hydrophilic using Samco RIE etcher RIE-10NR.

Polymer surface modification is an essential technique to achieve surface wettability improvement and direct substrate bonding in microfluidics fabrication. We offer plasma cleaners and UV-ozone cleaners as well as plasma etching equipment for this application. The paper below shows long-term stable hydrophilic surfaces of polymer materials (PMMA, COC, COP and PEEK) using UV-ozone treatment technologies.
UV/ozone Surface Modification for Long-term Stable Hydrophilic Surface of Polymer Microfluidic Devices

Sensitivity of Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Microsensors with Sol-Gel Derived PZT Films Prepared through Various Pyrolysis Temperatures

Kaoru Yamashita, Shota Nakajima, Jo Shiomi and Minoru Noda
Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
2017 IEEE International Meeting for Future of Electron Devices, Kansai (IMFEDK), Kyoto, Japan, 2017, pp. 108-109.

In this paper, MEMS ultrasonic microsensors with sol-gel derived PZT piezoelectric diaphragm was fabricated. In device fabrication, Samco silicon Deep RIE etcher RIE-400iPB was used to form the thin diaphragm structure by silicon plasma etching from the wafer backside.
Stress control of PZT thin film was carried out to investigate high ultrasonic sensitivity of the devices.

Samco provides silicon deep RIE etching technologies utilizing the Bosch Process to R&D labs for MEMS device and TSV processing applications. For more information on our process technologies of deep silicon etching, please visit the process data page below.
Silicon Deep RIE Process Data

Magnesium Oxide (MgO) pHsensitive Sensing Membrane in Electrolyte-Insulator Semiconductor Structures with CF4 Plasma Treatment

Chyuan-Haur Kao^1,3,4, Chia Lung Chang¹, Wei Ming Su², Yu Tzu Chen², Chien Cheng Lu²,
Yu Shan Lee², Chen Hao Hong², Chan-Yu Lin⁴ & Hsiang Chen^2
1 Department of Electronic Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, ROC.
² Department of Applied Materials and Optoelectronic Engineering, National Chi Nan University, Puli, 545, Taiwan, ROC.
³ Kidney Research Center, Department of Nephrology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC.
⁴ Department of Electronic Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City,
Taiwan, ROC.
Scientific Reports (2017) 7 7185  DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-07699-3

In this paper, MgO (Magnesium Oxide) based biosensors were fabricated for chemical solution sensing with high pH sensitivity. CF₄ plasma treatment was carried out to shape nanostructures and stabilize the material properties of the MgO membrane. For the CF₄ plasma treatment of MgO films and deposition of silicon based films, Samco PECVD system PD-220N was used.

Samco offers PECVD systems for plasma deposition of SiO₂, SiN_x, a-Si, DLC and etc. These films are used for passivation, barrier film and other purposes in various research fields. For more details of our process capabilities of plasma deposition technologies, please visit the process data pages below.
SiO₂ PECVD Process Data
SiN_x PECVD Process Data

Run-to-Run Yield Evaluation of Improved Nb 9-layer
Advanced Process using Single Flux Quantum Shift Register
Chip with 68,990 Josephson Junctions

Shuichi Nagasawa and Mutsuo Hidaka
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1
Umezono, Tsukuba 305-8568, Japan
IOP Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 871 (2017) 012065

Sputter SiO₂ deposition process has a challenge in reproducibility in device fabrication.
In this paper, as an alternative of the sputter deposition method, PECVD deposition method was developed in combination with Ar ion milling. Samco PECVD system, PD-270STL at AIST was used for SiO₂ insulation layer deposition. With effective chamber conditioning, SiO₂ insulation with less particles was achieved with an excellent run-to-run reproducibility.

This research was presented at 29th International Symposium on Superconductivity.

For more details of our SiO₂ PECVD process capabilities,
please visit the process data page below.
SiO₂ PECVD Data