Design, optimization, fabrication and analysis of Cu microheater for loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) applications

• Main Authors: Ezhilnavaroji, Jeroish Zachariah, Bhuvaneshwari, K. S., Futane, Abhishek, Fahmi, Samsuri, Narayanamurthy, Vigneswaran
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: Elsevier 2023
• Subjects: T Technology (General); TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
• Online Access: http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/39298/1/Design%2C%20optimization%2C%20fabrication%20and%20analysis%20of%20Cu%20microheater%20for%20loop-mediated%20isothermal%20amplification%20%28LAMP%29%20applications%20%28intro%29.pdf; http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/39298/2/Design%2C%20optimization%2C%20fabrication%20and%20analysis%20of%20Cu%20microheater%20for%20loop-mediated%20isothermal%20amplification%20%28LAMP%29%20applications.pdf; http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/39298/; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2023.106663
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah

A paper presents the design, fabrication, and thermal evaluation of a printed circuit board (PCB) based copper (Cu) microheater that can be integrated with microfluidic chips to initiate the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). A series of 3D finite element electro-thermal simulations were carried out to analyze the thermal uniformity and power consumption of the micro heater. The optimal design was fabricated using the etching technique and analyzed with a heat spreader to enhance thermal uniformity. The simulation results of the microheater reveal that the meander configuration outperforms other designs. In addition, the microheater with a heat spreader has a thermal difference of only < 5 ℃ when compared with ∼10 ℃ in a microheater without a heat spreader. The developed microheater has a long shelf life and can be used to handle wet biological samples when encapsulated with polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The paper microfluidic chip on the glass substrate has a temperature difference of only 0.5 ℃. The low-cost microheater integrated microfluidic chips has the great potential to develop inexpensive home-based diagnostic kits and trigger the access of diagnostic kits in underdeveloped countries to reduce the spread of infection and initiate treatment plans.