Rapid X-ray Fabrication of Microstructured Polytetrafluoroethylene Substrates by Anisotropic, Pyrochemical Microetching

Abstract

We investigate the anisotropic, pyrochemical microetching of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) using X-ray-induced decomposition and scission initiated by synchrotron radiation. The dependence of the anisotropic, pyrochemical-etching characteristics on X-ray photon energy is investigated by comparing the etching depths produced by two beam lines with different X-ray photon energies. Higher X-rays penetrate deeper into the PTFE substrate, resulting deeper etching depth than that by low-energy X-rays. The anisotropic, pyrochemical-etching process sheds light on the fabrication of microfluidic devices and Lab-on-a-Chip made from high-precision PTFE microstructures.