Mixing and defoaming uniformity on which high-definition transfer depends

Fine bubbles that hinder transfer

There is a demand for the use of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane, a silicone impression material for high-precision transfer), a material that allows high-definition transfer at submicron level in the biochip manufacturing process.

The two components of PDMS, the base and curing agents, are both transparent liquid, so it is difficult to visually check whether the material is properly mixed.
In order to maximize the original performance of the material, it is necessary to carefully remove fine bubbles that hinder transfer by means of an optimal mixing method.

The solution? Thinky!

Transfer accuracy is greatly stabilized by an improved mixing and deaerating process

When we were in the process of looking for a better mixing method, THINKY MIXER ARE-310 (non-vacuum) was recommended to us by a material manufacturer, so we requested a demonstration. We colored the base and curing agents white and red, respectively, so that the mixing state of the agents was visible, and made a comparison between the results of manual mixing and those of the THINKY MIXER.

We found that the manually mixed material had an uneven color and multiple large bubbles on the surface. In contrast, the material mixed by THINKY MIXER ARE-310 was in a quite satisfactory state without color unevenness and fine bubbles.
We were surprised to find that although there was a huge difference in viscosity between the base and curing agents used, the material was uniformly mixed and deaerated in only a few minutes. We achieved stable transfer accuracy in the following process verification. We decided to introduce THINKY MIXER ARE-310 after finding that it could prevent the material from generating heat. Today, THINKY MIXER ARE-310 is one of the most important devices for both research and manufacturing.

Fine bubbles that hinder transfer

Transfer accuracy is greatly stabilized by an improved mixing and deaerating process

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