An optimal protocol for PMMA UV surface modification and its thermal bonding procedure are proposed in this study. This study investigates the correlation between UV surface modification of PMMA and its thermal bonding procedure. Polymer thermal bondi...
An optimal protocol for PMMA UV surface modification and its thermal bonding procedure are proposed in this study. This study investigates the correlation between UV surface modification of PMMA and its thermal bonding procedure. Polymer thermal bonding is widely used for micro- and nano-chip fabrication, and its results depend on temperature, pressure, time, material, molecular weight, surface condition, and UV dose. Therefore, it is crucial to examine the effects of these variables. However, analytical and quantitative studies on the UV dose effects have not yet been reported. This study shows the changes in hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity according to the UV dose and its effect on the thermal bonding results. The water contact angles are measured for each UV exposure time (0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 min) to quantify the surface energy. Additionally, tensile tests are conducted to experimentally investigate the effects of the physical and chemical changes in the PMMA surface on the thermal bonding quality. The results confirm that the UV dose changes the PMMA surface energy, which consequently affects the thermal bonding force.