• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.92-94
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• 2005

We present a novel method for three-dimensional optical memory and microchannel embedded in fused silica glass. Three-dimensional dot patterning with a femtosecond laser pulse and observation with optical microscope are performed. Dot patterns are created by use of a 0.42 N.A. objective to focus 100 fs laser pulses inside the material. We demonstrate data storage with $2{\mu}m$ dot pitch and $7{\mu}m$layer spacing $(36 Gbit/cm^3)$. A three-dimensional microchannel acting as microfluidic and microoptical components is directly fabricated inside a silica glass. The optical micrographs of the microchannel are obtained by a digital camera of a microscope.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.357-361
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• 2006

This paper reports a new technology to implement complex PDMS microchannels, which are simply constructed using three-dimensional photoresist structures as mold for PDMS replica process. The process utilizes LOR resist as a sacrificial layer to levitate the structural photoresist and multi-step exposure to control the thicknesses of photoresist structures. Various shapes of photoresist structures were successfully fabricated. Using the PDMS replica method, the three-dimensional photoresist structures are demonstrated to be applicable for implementing complex microchannels in PDMS. In addition, more complex multilevel microchannels are constructed by bonding two PDMS layers with just single PDMS alignment.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.644-654
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• 2003

An analytical solution for a vertically stratified viscous flow in a microchannel with a rectangular cross-section is constructed, assuming fully developed laminar flow where the interfaces between the fluid layers are flat. Although the solution is for n-layer flow, restricted results to symmetrical three-layer flow are presented to investigate the effects of the viscosity and thickness ratios of the fluid layers and the aspect ratio of the microchannel on the flow field. Relations between the flow rate and thickness ratios of the fluid layers with varying viscosity distributions are found, considering the cross -sectional velocity profiles which vary noticeably with the three parameters and differ significantly from the velocity profiles of the flow between infinite parallel plates. Interfacial instability induced by the viscosity stratification in the microchannel is discussed referring to previous studies on the instability analysis for plane multilayer flow. Exact solution derived in the present study can be used for examining a diffusion process and three -dimensional stability analysis. More works are needed to formulate the equations including the effects of interfacial' tension between immiscible liquids and surface wettability which are important in microscale transport phenomena.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.08a
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• pp.36.1-36.1
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• 2008

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.21-26
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• 2011

Hydrodynamic focusing technique to generate focused flow has been used for flow cytometry in microfluidic devices. However, devices with circular capillary tubes made of glass are not suitable for flow visualization or optical signal detection because the rays of light are distorted at the curved interface. We devised a new acrylic chamber assembled with a pulled micropipette and a rectangular microchannel made of glass. This new channel geometry enabled us to visualize the three-dimensional (3D) flow characteristics with confocal imaging technique. We analyzed the 3D hydrodynamic focusing in a circular capillary tube and a rectangular microchannel over a practical range of flow rates, viscosities and pressure drops.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.1870-1875
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• 2007

The microchannel heat sink is promising heat dissipation method for high heat flux source. Contrary to conventional circular channel, MEMS based microchannel had rectangular or trapezoidal cross-sectional shape. In our study, we conducted three dimensional conjugate heat transfer calculation for rectangular shape microchannel. First, we simulated that channel was completely drained with known heating power. As a result we obtained calibration line, which indicates heat loss was function of temperature. Second, we simulated single phase heat transfer with various mass flux, 100-400 $kg/m^2s$. In conclusion, the single phase test verified that the present heat loss evaluation method is applicable to micro scale heat transfer devices. Heat fluxes from each side wall shows difference due to non-uniform heating. However those ratios were correlated with supplied total heat. Finally, we proposed effective area correction factor to evaluate appropriate heat flux.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.121-122
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• 2003

In this study a microchannel with various arrangement of blocks is newly proposed. This design comprises periodically arranged simple blocks. In this configuration, the stirring is greatly enhanced at a certain geometric parameter set. To characterize the flow field and the stirring effect both the numerical and experimental methods were employed. To obtain the velocity field, three-dimensional numerical computation to the Navier Stokes equations are performed by using a commercial code, FLUENT 6.0. The fluid-flow solutions are then cast into studying the characteristics of stirring with the aid of Lyapunov exponent. The numerical results show that the particles' trajectories in the microchannel heavily depend on the block arrangement. It was shown that the stirring is significantly enhanced at larger block-height and it reaches maximum when the height is 0.8 times the channel width. We also studied the effect of the block stagger angle, and it turns out that the stirring performance is the best at the block angel ${45^\circ}$.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.261-264
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• 2009

We present a three-dimensional (3D) particle focusing channel using the positive dielectrophoresis (pDEP) guided by a dielectric structure between two planar electrodes. The dielectric structure between two planar electrodes induces the maximum electric field at the center of the microchannel, and particles are focused to the center of the microchannel by pDEP as they flow from the single sample injection port. Compared to the previous 3D particle focusing methods, the present device achieves the simple and effective particle focusing function without any additional fluidic ports and top electrodes. In the experimental study, approximately 90 % focusing efficiency were achieved within the focusing length of 2mm, on both x-z plane (top-view) and y-z plane (side-view) for $2{\mu}m$-diameter polystyrene (PS) bead at the applied voltage over 15 Vp-p (square wave) and at the flow rate below 0.01 ${\mu}l$/min. The present 3D particle focusing channel results in a simple particle focusing method suitable for use in integrated microbiochemical analysis system.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11b
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• pp.2460-2464
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• 2008

The present paper suggests new method to know the effects of molecular diffusion and the helicity of microchannel flows on mixing in passive micromixers, which are essential components of a microfluidic chip. In this study, 'Helix Index' is newly defined as the magnitude of chaotic advection. Relationship between Helix Index and Mixing Index is analyzed numerically such as the wide range of Peclet and Reynolds numbers in three dimensional serpentine microchannel when using soluble solutions (water/glycerol). As a result, a simple algebraic equation is derived by this relationship based on a regression analysis. The algebraic equation is found to be able to accurately predict the mixing performance without solving the coupled, complex momentum and mass transfer equations.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.29 no.6 s.237
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• pp.904-912
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• 2005

The flow in a microchannel is usually characterized as a low Reynolds number (Re) so that good mixing is quite difficult to be achieved. In this regard, we developed a novel chaotic micromixer, named Barrier Embedded Kenics Micromixer (BEKM). In the BEKM, the higher level of chaotic mixing can be achieved by combining two general chaotic mixing mechanisms: (i) splitting/reorientation by helical elements inside the microchannel and (ii) stretching/folding via periodically located barriers on the channel wall. The fully three-dimensional geometry of BEKM was realized by a micro-stereolithography technology, in this study, along with a Kenics micromixer and a circular T-pipe. Mixing performances of three micromixers were experimentally characterized in terms of an average mixing color intensity of phenolphthalein. Experimental results show that BEKM has better mixing performance than other two micromixers. Chaotic mixing mechanism, proposed in this study, could be integrated as a mixing component with Micro-Total-Analysis-System, Lab-on-a-chip and so on.