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Optofluidic Waveguides in Teflon AF-Coated PDMS Microfluidic Channels
Sung Hwan Cho1, Jessica Godin, Yu-Hwa Lo
1Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0418 USA ( scho@logroup.ucsd.edu ).
IEEE Photonics Technology Letters : a Publication of the IEEE Laser and Electro-Optics Society
|August 24, 2010
Summary
Researchers developed a novel optofluidic waveguide using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and Teflon AF. This method integrates light guiding within microfluidic channels for enhanced lab-on-chip biosensor applications.
Area of Science:
- Optofluidics
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Lab-on-chip devices require efficient light guiding within microfluidic channels.
- Existing methods for fabricating optofluidic waveguides face limitations with materials like polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a new method for fabricating optofluidic waveguides compatible with PDMS.
- To create an integrated light path within microfluidic channels for enhanced detection efficiency and chip area utilization.
Main Methods:
- Coating PDMS microfluidic channels with Teflon amorphous fluoropolymers (Teflon AF) with a lower refractive index than water.
- Utilizing a vacuum pump to flow Teflon AF solution, creating a thin cladding layer (5-15 µm).
- Overcoming elasticity mismatch issues common with spin-coating processes.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated a water/Teflon AF optical waveguide within PDMS microfluidic channels.
- Demonstrated confinement and guiding of laser light through the liquid core.
- Showcased light splitting capabilities corresponding to fluid flow splitting.
Conclusions:
- The new coating method enables robust optofluidic waveguide fabrication in PDMS.
- This advancement facilitates highly integrated biosensors, including lab-on-chip flow cytometers and micro-fabricated fluorescence-activated cell sorters.
- The technique offers a pathway for on-chip excitation in advanced microfluidic systems.
