Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
Dry Film Photoresist-based Electrochemical Microfluidic Biosensor Platform: Device Fabrication, On-chip Assay Preparation, and System Operation
Published on: September 19, 2017
Single-step fabrication and characterization of photonic crystal biosensors with polymer microfluidic channels
Charles J Choi1, Brian T Cunningham
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Nano Sensors Group, Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, 208 N. Wright St., Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Abstract:
A method for simultaneously integrating label-free photonic crystal biosensor technology into microfluidic channels by a single-step replica molding process is presented. By fabricating both the sub-micron features of the photonic crystal sensor structure and the >10 microm features of a flow channel network in one step at room temperature on a plastic substrate, the sensors are automatically self-aligned with the flow channels, and patterns of arbitrary shape may be produced. By measuring changes in the resonant peak reflected wavelength from the photonic crystal structure induced by changes in dielectric permittivity within an evanescent field region near its surface, detection of bulk refractive index changes in the fluid channel or adsorption of biological material to the sensor surface is demonstrated. An imaging detection instrument is used to characterize the spatial distribution of the photonic crystal resonant wavelength, gathering thousands of independent sensor readings within a single fluid channel.
