Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) chip - coated - topconnect - random network

One simple but very effective way to clean a microchip is to flush an alkaline solution through the channels. A solution of 1 M sodium hydroxide in water works well, but a lower concentration might also be sufficient. If traces of the cleaning solution remain inside the chip after cleaning, rinse with water or ammonia. Further, plastic parts should not be exposed to alkaline solutions.
To remove particulate matter from your chip, a water bath with ultrasonic agitation can be used, preferably while flushing a watery solution through the channels.
Glass microchips can be heated (e.g. 400°C) causing any organic material on the glass surface to degrade. Try to use lower temperatures first because burning the content could make it stick. Make sure you only heat the glass chip and not the plastic parts around it.
Concentrated sulfuric acid works well to dissolve organic material, such as fibres, that are difficult to remove with alkaline solutions. Always keep in mind that you are working with extremely corrosive material. Please note that this instruction is focused on the chip itself, PEEK elements like connectors are not so compatible with strong sulforic acid.
Please note that chips that were coated by Micronit have different guidelines for cleaning!

The EOR chip itself is manufactured from glass and can easily withstand up to 300⁰C. The chips are supplied in a black fluidic cartridge however, this cartridge can withstand up to 80⁰C.
No sealant is used, the two layers of glass are fusion bonded together.
The chip can withstand easily up to 100 bar. The external interfacing is more critical however. Our Fluidic Connect holder offers the largest pressure, up to 80 bars (maybe less at elevated temperatures). Please note that it might be helpful to practice a little with the Fluidic Connect holder first. You need to get the feeling to apply not too much force, which might break the chip, but enough to obtain sufficient sealing. It might be necessary to tighten a bit more when pressure and temperature are increased. Please remove the pressure before additional tightening.

The fluidic ports are on positions 3,8
Alignment can be done on positions 2,7 (or 4,9).

A inverted miscope is recommend, as most surface for observation is on the bottom (non-inlet side).
The objective working distance is a critical parameter for selection of an objective.  Most default objectives are indented for a #1.5 cover slip which is only 170µm thick, where the thickness below channel is mostly in the range of 400-900µm.   
Those objectives with longer working distance are often called non-coverglass objectives.
Where possible we would recommend to work dry. In most cases it should be possible to use the channel edge or other well defined point  as reference for manual size corrections, this would reduce the need for corrections by the objective.

Wet etched structures are extremely smooth and have a roughness in Angstrom range. The structures are fully optical transparent. 
Large roughness for structures in glass chips is typical observed for structures manufactured by use of laser assisted manufacturing techniques or abrasion-based techniques like powder blasting. Almost all catalogue products from Micronit are manufactured using wet etching to create full transparent channels without substantial roughness.