An apparatus comprising: An electrophoresis separation chip having a substrate layer and a cover layer wherein the substrate layer includes a plurality of grooves and one of the substrate layer and cover layer includes a series of through holes; wherein a top surface of the substrate layer and a bottom surface of the cover layer are bonded together to form a plurality of microfluidic channels, said channels having a detection region at the termini of a separation region; wherein each of the substrate layer and the cover layer comprises a thin plastic film of polyethylene, a poly(acrylate), a poly(carbonate), an unsaturated, partially unsaturated or saturated cyclic olefin polymer, an unsaturated, partially unsaturated, or saturated cyclic olefin copolymer, or a norbornene thermopolymer, which essentially does not fluoresce light having a wavelength between 500 and 800 nm when excited at a wavelength between about 450 and 500 nm, and wherein each of the substrate layer and the cover layer independently has a thickness of less than 200μm; and a plastic support fixedly attached to the chip, said support having an anode portion with at least one anode well, a cathode portion with at least one cathode well and a center portion there between, the center portion having a detection window fabricated from a cut-out in the plastic support which overlaps with the detection region of each of the plurality of microfluidic channels such that the total thickness of plastic at the detection region is less than 400μm. An electrophoresis separation chip having a substrate layer and a cover layer wherein the substrate layer includes a plurality of grooves and one of the substrate layer and cover layer includes a series of through holes; wherein a top surface of the substrate layer and a bottom surface of the cover layer are bonded together to form a plurality of microfluidic channels, said channels having a detection region at the termini of a separation region; wherein each of the substrate layer and the cover layer comprises a thin plastic film of polyethylene, a poly(acrylate), a poly(carbonate), an unsaturated, partially unsaturated or saturated cyclic olefin polymer, an unsaturated, partially unsaturated, or saturated cyclic olefin copolymer, or a norbornene thermopolymer, which essentially does not fluoresce light having a wavelength between 500 and 800 nm when excited at a wavelength between about 450 and 500 nm, and a substrate layer and a cover layer wherein the substrate layer includes a plurality of grooves and one of the substrate layer and cover layer includes a series of through holes; wherein a top surface of the substrate layer and a bottom surface of the cover layer are bonded together to form a plurality of microfluidic channels, said channels having a detection region at the termini of a separation region; wherein each of the substrate layer and the cover layer comprises a thin plastic film of polyethylene, a poly(acrylate), a poly(carbonate), an unsaturated, partially unsaturated or saturated cyclic olefin polymer, an unsaturated, partially unsaturated, or saturated cyclic olefin copolymer, or a norbornene thermopolymer, which essentially does not fluoresce light having a wavelength between 500 and 800 nm when excited at a wavelength between about 450 and 500 nm, and wherein each of the substrate layer and the cover layer independently has a thickness of less than 200μm; and a plastic support fixedly attached to the chip, said support having an anode portion with at least one anode well, a cathode portion with at least one cathode well and a center portion there between, the center portion having a detection window fabricated from a cut-out in the plastic support which overlaps with the detection region of each of the plurality of microfluidic channels such that the total thickness of plastic at the detection region is less than 400μm. and a plastic support fixedly attached to the chip, said support having an anode portion with at least one anode well, a cathode portion with at least one cathode well and a center portion there between, the center portion having a detection window fabricated from a cut-out in the plastic support which overlaps with the detection region of each of the plurality of microfluidic channels such that the total thickness of plastic at the detection region is less than 400μm.