In this paper, we propose acoustophoretic microfluidic devices with an acoustic transparent polymer wall using a simple and low-cost fabrication method followed by MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical Systems) processes. Generally, due to the acoustic standing wave between two opposing walls in microfluidic channel, the particle focusing lines are fixed according to the applied frequency. In the proposed device, however, it is possible to place the particle focusing lines in the arbitrary position within the fluidic domain through the optimized width of polymer wall. The PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) mold with thin layer was used as the sealing layer between the Si substrate and cover glass, as well as the decoupling layer between the acoustic boundary and fluidic boundary. The thickness of PDMS mold needed to be minimized to decrease the heating by the acoustic energy absorption of PDMS layer, which was successfully made using the spin-coating of PDMS and the UV tape transfer method. The acoustophoretic device with thin PDMS layer and optimized width of PDMS wall can be applied, for biotechnological applications such as the separation of blood cells and micro-particles.

Sound waves propagate in a manner in which energy is transmitted by adjacent molecules in the medium. These adjacent molecules exhibit inherent sound wave characteristics, such as height and wavelength, depending on the sound frequency. The Helmholtz resonator, one of the well-known acoustic elements, comprises a neck and a cavity, and features a resonance at a specific frequency related to structural dimensions. The acoustic characteristics of the Helmholtz resonator can be explained by a lumped spring-mass system in mechanical engineering; the resonant frequency can be calculated with the same analysis. The Helmholtz resonator is widely used as an acoustic filter as it can re-radiate sound waves with the opposite phase and significantly attenuate the original sound wave in the resonance frequency range. In this study, we fabricated a Helmholtz resonator-inspired film-type acoustic absorber (FAA), comprising a microscale resonator array made with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Through acoustic attenuation experiments, the FAA revealed that the novel attenuation values reached up to 36.3 dB mm-1. Additionally, a continuous fabrication of the FAA was achieved via a custom-built roll-type equipment.