A silicon microfabricated aperture for counting cells using the aperture impedance technique

Abstract

Design, fabrication and testing of two distinct miniature blood cell counters are presented. The first design utilizes a deep RIE silicon etch and anodic bonding technique to produce a compact flow cell capable of counting cells using the aperture impedance technique. The second design demonstrates a simpler aperture fabrication process that appears to be more ideally suited for miniature blood cell counters. Tests conducted indicate that the microfabricated aperture is capable of giving signals comparable to currently available desktop blood cell counters.