Gas chromatography (GC) is one of the most widespread techniques used in laboratories as a way to separate and analyze complex mixtures of volatile and semi-volatile compounds. The main advantage of miniaturization of these systems is the increased performance due to the reduced time for analysis and reduced fabrication cost of the complex pneumatic flow system. In this paper advanced design ideas and fabrication processes to facilitate integration of the sample concentrator and the column will be presented. Using the LIGA process, 0.5-and 2-m-long, 50-lm-wide, and up to 600-lm-high aspect ratio metal GC separation columns with on-chip integrated sample injection and detection were fabricated. Initial experiments of coating these high aspect ratio columns show promising results when compared to simple tubular columns.

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