Fabrication Challenges of Lab-on-Chip

For several decades the task of putting chemical and biological procedures into a microfabricated package has offered the prospect of fundamentally changing how we delivery health care. Unfortunately, despite lofty goals, tremendous efforts worldwide, and many years, to date the impact of these lab-onchip technologies has been significantly less than expected. That said, technology development has now proceeded to the point that some applications are now viable, and these chould provide the momentum to further develop the field. This invited talk will explore challenges in MEMS in application to lab on chip - it will discuss the progress made, the primary challenges and likely routes forward. The talk will begin by looking at the technical requirements for effective use, how these were addressed in early work and how they are being addressed at the present time. The talk will discuss recent advances in the areas of thermal control, optical sensing and fluidic control, areas that are of fundamental importance in the development of the field. At the conclusion, an outline will be given showing how sufficient resources can be brought to bear such that fully integrated, low-cost devices could soon be built, while dealing with the need for substantial non-recurring engineering (NRE) on the one hand, and for high-volume manufacture on the other.