Two different applications that take advantage of integrated planar waveguides will be shown. The first
example is a silicon chips for capillary electrochromatography (CEC), where the fluidic part contains
electrically insulated channels with an injection cross and a chromatography column of microfabricated
pillars, while the optical part consists of ultraviolet transparent planar waveguides for absorbance
detection in the plane of the chip and fiber couplers for easy connection to an external light source and
a photodetector. Electrochromatographic separations have been performed using hydrophobic octyl
chains (C-8) immobilized onto the pillar sidewalls as a stationary phase. This is the first time capillary
electro-chromatography has been shown on a chip with integrated waveguides for detection.
In another chip, an array of pillars inside a microfluidic column that is designed for electrochromatography
is used as an optofluidic filter (1 D photonic crystal) for on-column label-free
refractive index detection. Conventional planar waveguides are furthermore integrated for coupling
light in and out of the structure.
The integration of optical transducers is generally considered a key issue in the further development of lab-on-a-chip microsystems. We present a technology for the integration of miniaturized, polymer based lasers, with planar waveguides, microfluidic networks and substrates such as structured silicon. The flexibility of the polymer
patterning process, enables fabrication of laser light sources and other optical components such as waveguides, lenses and prisms, in the same lithographic process step on a polymer. The optically functionalised polymer layer can be overlaid on any reasonably flat substrate, such as electrically functionalised Silicon containing
photodiodes. This optical and microfluidic overlay, interfaces optically with the substrate through the polymer-substrate contact plane. Two types of integrable laser source devices are demonstrated: microfluidic- and solid polymer dye lasers. Both are based on laser resonators defined solely in the polymer layer. The polymer laser sources are optically pumped with an external laser, and emits light in the chip plane, suitable for coupling into chip waveguides. Integration of the light sources with polymer waveguides, micro-fluidic networks and photodiodes embedded in a Silicon substrate is shown in a device designed for measuring the time resolved absorption of two fluids mixed on-chip. The feasibility of three types of polymers is demonstrated: SU-8, PMMA and a cyclo-olefin co-polymer (COC) -- Topas. SU-8 is a negative tone photoresist, allowing patterning with conventional UV lithography. PMMA and Topas are thermoplasts, which are patterned by nanoimprint lithography (NIL).
We have designed a bio/chemical microsystem for online monitoring of glucose concentrations during fermentation. The system contains several passive microfluidic components including an enzyme reactor, a flow lamination part and a detector. Detection is based on the reaction of hydrogen peroxide, that is produced from glucose in an enzyme reactor, with luminol. This chemiluminescent reaction generates light that is detected by an integrated back-side contacted photodiode array. Various tests during fabrication are outlined with the emphasis on microwave detected photo conductance decay. The presented microsystem has both fluidic and electrical connection points accessible from the backside. This allows simultaneous testing of both fluidic and electrical parts before dicing the wafer.
Buried optical channel waveguides integrated with a fluidic channel network on a planar microdevice are presented. The waveguides were fabricated using silica-on-silicon technology with the goal to replace bulk optical elements and facilitate various optical detection techniques for miniaturized total analysis systems or lab-on-a-chip systems. Waveguide structures with core layers doped with germanium were employed for fluorescence measurements, while waveguides with nitrogen- only doped core layers were used for absorbance measurements. By the elimination of germanium oxygen deficiency centers transmission of light down to 210nm was possible, allowing absorance measurements in the mid and far UV region (210 to 280nm), which is the region where a large number of different molecules absorb light. Robust, alignment-free microdevices, which can easily be hooked up to a number of light sources and detectors were used for fluorescence measurements of two dyes, fluorescein and Bodipy, and absorbance measurements of a stres-reducing drug, propranolol. The lowest detected concentrations were 250pM for fluorescein, 100nM for Bodipy and 12(mu) M for propranolol.
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