Parylene-bonded micro-fluidic channels for cryogenic experiments at superfluid He-4 temperatures

Abstract

We present the manufacturing process of a (24.5 × 100) μm2-sized on-chip flow channel intended for flow experiments with normal and superfluid phases of 4He and showcase such a proof-of-concept experiment. This work proves the suitability of chip-to-chip bonding using a thin layer of Parylene-C for cryogenic temperatures as a simpler alternative to other techniques, such as anodic bonding. A monocrystalline silicon chip embeds the etched meander-shaped micro-fluidic channel and a deposited platinum heater and is bonded to a Pyrex glass top. We test the leak tightness of the proposed bonding method for superfluid 4He, reaching temperatures of ≈1.6 K and evaluate its possible effects on flow experiments. We demonstrate that powering an on-chip platinum heater affects the superfluid flow rate by local overheating of a section of the micro-fluidic channel.