JP6412435B2 - Microchannel chip - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a microchannel chip having a resin substrate on which a microchannel is formed and a cover member.

  In order to analyze a biological sample such as a cell tissue, an analysis is performed using a microchannel chip in which a microchannel having a width of about several tens of μm to 100 μm is formed on a substrate. The microchannel chip can perform a series of operations that have been performed in the laboratory so far in a microchannel formed on a chip of about several centimeters, so that a small amount of samples and reagents necessary for analysis can be obtained. There are many advantages such as that the analysis result can be obtained immediately at the site where the sample is collected, and the influence of contamination can be avoided by making the microchannel chip disposable.

  Conventionally, a microchannel chip in which a microchannel is formed on a silicon or glass substrate using a microfabrication technique has been used. However, the silicon and glass substrates are expensive, and the microchannel chip is expensive because a plurality of processes are required to form microchannels on these substrates by microfabrication technology. It was.

  In view of this, low-cost micro-channel chips that use an inexpensive resin as a substrate material and form a micro-channel by a resin molding technique have been used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a microchannel in which a resin substrate provided with a cylindrical portion serving as a microchannel and a liquid storage region is injection-molded, and a resin cover member is bonded to the surface on which the microchannel is formed. The chip is listed. Patent Document 2 describes a micro-channel chip in which a sheet is attached to an acrylic transparent resin substrate in which a micro-channel is injection-molded.

Japanese Patent No. 5282273 Japanese Patent No. 5382852

  As the use of the microchannel chip expands, the capacity of the liquid storage area provided in the microchannel chip is required to be increased so that the amount of sample and reagent that can be introduced at a time can be increased. However, in the cylindrical storage areas described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, even if an attempt is made to increase the capacity by increasing the diameter of the cylinder, a space is formed between the adjacent cylindrical storage areas. The surface area of the road chip cannot be used effectively.

  On the other hand, if the resin substrate on which the fine flow path is formed is deformed or distorted, the fine flow path is distorted or displaced, so that the accuracy of the analysis result using the micro flow path chip is significantly reduced. For this reason, high accuracy is required for the shape of the resin substrate used for the microchannel chip, but if the shape and arrangement of the storage area provided on the resin substrate are complicated, sink marks and deformation are likely to occur during molding of the resin substrate. As a result, variations in shape are likely to occur, and the yield of the resin substrate is reduced. In order to increase the productivity of the resin substrate, the liquid storage area provided on the resin substrate is preferably configured by arranging a plurality of cylinders having a uniform thickness while avoiding complicated shapes. It has been difficult to increase the capacity of the liquid storage area by effectively utilizing.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a liquid storage area with a large capacity, and is less prone to sink and deformation during molding, and a micro flow path using a highly productive resin substrate. The purpose is to provide a chip.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a resin substrate having a fine channel on one side and a liquid storage area on the other side, and a cover member joined to the one side, The region includes a plurality of partition portions divided by a wall surface protruding from the other surface, and the resin substrate is provided with at least one deformation preventing recess.

  The deformation preventing recess is provided at an intersection where the wall surfaces intersect. Further, the deformation preventing recess is provided at the intersecting portion in the vicinity of a portion where the fine channel and the wall surface overlap in a plan view.

  The amount of depression of the deformation prevention recess is 30% or more and 50% or less of the thickness of the wall surface.

  The deformation preventing recess is formed in a region facing the wall surface of the one surface. In addition, the partition portion is a polygon.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a microchannel chip using a highly productive resin substrate that has a large liquid storage area and is less likely to sink or deform during molding.

It is a perspective view of the microchannel chip concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the resin substrate of an embodiment. It is a bottom view of the resin substrate of an embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same elements throughout the description of the embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a microchannel chip according to an embodiment of the present invention. A microchannel chip 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a resin substrate 2 having a microchannel 6 formed on the bottom surface by injection molding, and a cover member 3 that is bonded to the bottom surface of the resin substrate 2 and closes the microchannel 6. And.

  The resin substrate 2 and the cover member 3 are preferably highly transparent, using a resin material selected from polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin, polystyrene resin, polyolefin resin, cycloolefin resin, silicone rubber, and the like. Can be formed. The resin substrate 2 and the cover member 3 can be formed of different materials. However, it is preferable that the resin substrate 2 and the cover member 3 are easily joined if they are formed of the same type of resin material. Moreover, although the thickness of the cover member 3 is not specifically limited, For example, the film and sheet | seat of thickness 0.05mm-0.5mm can be used.

  The upper surface of the resin substrate 2 is a storage area 9 for liquid samples and reagents. The storage area 9 is formed by a wall surface 5 that is injection-molded so as to protrude from the upper surface of the resin substrate 2, and the storage area 9 is divided into a plurality of partition portions 4. Each partition part 4 can store liquids, such as a sample and a reagent, independently. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, circular and rectangular partition parts 4 are formed in the storage area 9, but the shape of the partition part 4 divided by the wall surface 5 may be another polygon. The shape of the partition section 4 divided into the storage area 9 by the wall surface 5 is arbitrary.

  FIG. 2 is a view of the resin substrate 2 of the microchannel chip 1 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from above, and FIG. 3 is a view of the resin substrate 2 as viewed from the bottom with the cover member 3 removed. The dotted line in FIG. 2 indicates the arrangement of the fine flow path 6 and the deformation preventing recess 8b provided on the bottom surface shown in FIG. 3, and does not indicate the shape of the upper surface of the resin substrate 2.

  On the bottom surface of the resin substrate 2, a fine channel 6 through which a liquid sample or reagent flows as shown in FIG. 3 is formed by injection molding. The liquid sample flowing through the fine flow path 6 reacts with the reagent on the fine flow path 6 or is irradiated with laser light for analysis. The fine channel 6 is formed as a groove having a width of 60 μm to 100 μm and a depth of 50 μm to 110 μm, for example, on the bottom surface of the resin substrate 2, and the formed groove is covered with a cover member 3 joined to the bottom surface. The fine flow path 6 provided on the bottom surface is connected to the top surface of the resin substrate 2 through a through hole 7 provided in the resin substrate 2. A liquid sample or reagent is supplied to the fine flow path 6 from one storage region 9 a provided on the upper surface of the resin substrate 2 via the through hole 7, and the analyzed sample or reagent passes through the through hole 7. It is recovered in the other storage area 9b.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid storage area 9 provided on the upper surface of the resin substrate 2 is divided into a plurality of compartments 4 for each use such as a sample, a reagent, and a liquid recovery after analysis by a wall surface 5. Has been. Each partition part 4 is connected to the fine flow path 6 through a through hole 7 provided in the partition part 4.

  In the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer periphery of the resin substrate 2 is surrounded by a frame-like wall surface 5 to be a liquid storage region 9, and the inside of the frame-like wall surface 5 is further divided by the wall surface 5 to obtain a plurality of A partition 4 is provided. Since the frame-shaped wall surface 5 is provided along the outer periphery of the resin substrate 2, the entire upper surface of the resin substrate 2 can be used as the liquid storage region 9. Moreover, since it divides | segments with the wall surface 5, compared with the structure which arrange | positions the conventional cylindrical storage area | region separately, a useless space does not arise and the capacity | capacitance of the liquid which can be stored can be increased.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment, even if the storage area 9 having the intersecting portion where the partition portions 4 having different shapes and the wall surfaces 5 intersect with each other is molded on the resin substrate 2, there is no sink or deformation at the time of injection molding. Therefore, deformation preventing recesses 8a and 8b are provided. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the deformation prevention recess 8 a in the embodiment is continuous from the lower end to the upper end of the wall surface 5 at the intersection where the wall surface 5 that divides the inside of the frame-shaped wall surface 5 into the partition portions 4 intersects. It is formed as a depression.

  Since the thickness of the wall surface 5 is discontinuous at the intersection where the wall surface 5 of the resin substrate 2 intersects, sink marks and deformation are likely to occur at the intersection when the resin substrate 2 is injection molded. However, by providing the deformation-preventing recess 8a that is continuous from the lower end to the upper end of the wall surface 5 at the intersection of the wall surface 5 as in the embodiment, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of sink marks and deformation during injection molding. As shown in FIG. 2, it is effective to provide the deformation preventing recess 8a at the intersection near the portion where the fine channel 6 and the wall surface 5 overlap in a plan view.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the amount of depression of the deformation preventing recess 8 a is 30% to 50% of the thickness of the wall surface 5. If the dent amount is less than 30% of the thickness of the wall surface 5, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient effect as a countermeasure against sink marks and deformation. On the other hand, if the amount of depression becomes larger than 50% of the thickness of the wall surface 5, the strength of the wall surface 5 becomes insufficient.

  In the embodiment, in addition to the deformation prevention recess 8 a provided on the wall surface 5, a deformation prevention recess 8 b is provided on the bottom surface of the resin substrate 2 as shown in FIG. 3. The deformation preventing recess 8b is provided in a region facing the wall surface 5 on the upper surface. Since the thickness of the resin substrate 2 is discontinuous at the base portion of the wall surface 5, sink or deformation is likely to occur in the region facing the wall surface 5 on the bottom surface, but the deformation preventing recess 8 b is provided in the region facing the wall surface 5. Therefore, the occurrence of sink marks and deformation during injection molding could be prevented.

  The amount of depression of the deformation preventing recess 8b is preferably 30% to 50% of the thickness of the resin substrate 2. If the dent amount is less than 30% of the thickness of the resin substrate 2, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient effect as a countermeasure against sink marks and deformation. If the dent amount exceeds 50% of the thickness of the resin substrate 2, the strength of the resin substrate 2 is increased. It becomes insufficient, and the substrate cannot be kept horizontal.

  In the embodiment, the liquid storage region 9 is configured by the partition portion 4 divided by the wall surface 5, so that the entire upper surface of the resin substrate 2 of the microchannel chip 1 can be efficiently used as the liquid storage region 9. Can do. Further, by providing the deformation preventing recesses 8a and 8b on the resin substrate 2, even the resin substrate 2 provided with the wall surface 5 having the intersecting portion can prevent the occurrence of sink marks and deformation at the time of injection molding, so that the productivity is high and low. A cost-effective microchannel chip can be provided.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microchannel chip 2 Resin substrate 3 Cover member 4 Partition part 5 Wall surface 6 Microchannel 7 Through-hole 8a, 8b Deformation prevention recessed part 9 Storage area

Claims (6)

A resin substrate having a fine flow path on one side and a liquid storage area on the other side, and a cover member joined to the one side;
The storage area comprises a plurality of partitions divided by a wall surface protruding from the other surface,
The microchannel chip, wherein the resin substrate is provided with at least one deformation preventing recess.   The microchannel chip according to claim 1, wherein the deformation prevention recess is provided at an intersection where the wall surfaces intersect.   3. The microchannel chip according to claim 2, wherein the deformation prevention recess is provided at the intersecting portion in the vicinity of a portion where the fine channel and the wall surface overlap in a plan view.   4. The microchannel chip according to claim 2, wherein the amount of depression of the deformation preventing recess is 30% or more and 50% or less of the thickness of the wall surface. 5.   5. The microchannel chip according to claim 1, wherein the deformation preventing recess is formed in a region of the one surface facing the wall surface. 6. The microchannel chip according to claim 1, wherein the partition portion is a polygon.

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