Abstract

Photonic Lab on a Chip: Mergence of Photonics and Microfluidics for Life Science Applications

Andreu Llobera, Researcher, Institut de Microelectronica de Barcelona

The miniaturization and integration of analytical assays into micro-chips has given rise to the Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) concept. In particular, the replacement of silicon/glass technology by low-cost polymeric materials has resulted in the development of extremely sophisticated microfluidic networks for analyte detection and manipulation. However, the opportunities offered by direct integration of transducers into the microfluidic platforms for in situ quantitative analysis have not been equally developed. In this talk we examine the advantages of the integration of optical spectroscopy in LoC, defining the so-called Photonic Lab-on-a-Chip (PhLoC), where the advantages of both research fields are merged. Here, the main function of microfluidics is the manipulation and transport of the analytes, while the photonic elements transduce the (bio)chemical signal arising from the analytes to a quantifiable signal. Alternatively, fluids can also play an active, key role in handling and directing the propagation of light in the microsystem. A major advantage here is the atom-sized roughness between two immiscible fluids with different refractive index, resulting in optically flat surfaces. We revisit the main principles underlying this technology as well as practical aspects concerning design and fabrication in order to approach this low-cost, but highly effective paradigm. Finally we demonstrate its potential through several examples of applications with different approaches to common life sicence problems.