ECD milling of glass for microfluidic and RDL applications

The miniaturization of functional systems has profoundly transformed the landscape of modern technology, particularly in the fields of biomedical diagnostics and semiconductor packaging [ 1 ]. Two key innovations that exemplify this trend are microfluidic systems and Redistribution Layers (RDLs). Both applications demand high-precision engineering of microscale structures on substrates such as glass: a material increasingly favored for its exceptional physical, electrical, and chemical properties. Nevertheless, the fabrication of intricate microstructures on glass presents substantial technical challenges, limiting the scalability, efficiency, and multifunctionality of these systems. Microfluidic systems, often referred to as lab-on-chip (LOC) platforms, integrate one or more laboratory processes such as sample preparation, fluid manipulation, mixing, and detection into a compact, miniaturized chip. These devices operate at the microscale, where laminar flow dominates, and highly controlled channel geometries are critical to maintaining reliable and reproducible fluid dynamics. Microfluidic technology enables rapid diagnostics, reduced reagent consumption, and real-time analysis, making it indispensable in applications ranging from point-of-care testing and environmental monitoring to drug screening and organ-on-chip models, as shown in Figure 7.1 .