Micro-scale aligning and stamping system for PDMS stamps

Microcontact (μC) printing technique allows making micro-scale patterns and Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamps are the most commonly used materials in μC-printing method. In Cell biology many researchers make protein patterns for controlling cell position and growth and they have used μC-printing method for it. Most of them press PDMS stamps on the substrates by hand for printing and it can´t assure the accuracy of the printing results. In this paper, we made a motorized alignment system for PDMS stamps which aligns stamps and substrates precisely and easily and make patterns using PC program. Our printing system cooperates with an inverted microscope which can provide a clear and high-resolution vision. It is particularly useful to make aligned patterns or two more patterning reputably needed on a substrate. Using our system we made aligned micro patterns on a single substrate and expect to apply it for various applications in cytobiology experiments.