Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026
11:23
Lensless Fluorescent Microscopy on a Chip
Published on: August 17, 2011
An in-plane optofluidic microchip for focal point control.
Kuo-Sheng Chao1, Meng-Shiang Lin, Ruey-Jen Yang
1Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan. rjyang@mail.ncku.edu.tw.
Lab on a Chip
|August 7, 2013
Summary
This study introduces a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) optofluidic chip with a tunable microlens and microprism. The device precisely controls light beam focal length and deviation angle by adjusting fluid flow rates.
Area of Science:
- Optofluidics
- Microfluidics
- Photonics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Optofluidic devices offer tunable optical properties.
- Microfluidic systems enable precise control over fluid dynamics.
- Integrating optical elements within microfluidic chips is crucial for miniaturized optical systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and demonstrate a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) optofluidic microfluidic chip.
- To integrate a tunable optofluidic in-plane biconvex microlens and a tunable optofluidic in-plane microprism.
- To control the focal length and deviation angle of a light beam using the proposed chip.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a PDMS microfluidic chip containing specialized chambers for microlens and microprism functionalities.
- Utilizing streams of liquids with varying refractive indices to form the microlens and microprism.
- Adjusting the flow rate ratios of core and cladding streams to tune the microlens radius of curvature and focal length.
- Modulating the deviation angle of the microprism by altering fluid refractive indices, chamber apex angle, and fluid flow rates.
Main Results:
- The tunable microlens demonstrated adjustable focal length in the range of 2.9–7.6 mm using specific core and cladding fluids.
- The tunable microprism achieved a deviation angle range from -6.2° to 22.3° with a 90° apex angle and selected working fluids.
- The study confirmed that relative flow rate adjustments effectively manipulate both focal length and deviation angle.
Conclusions:
- The developed optofluidic chip successfully integrates tunable microlens and microprism functionalities.
- The device provides a novel method for dynamic control over light beam manipulation.
- This technology holds potential for applications in adaptive optics, optical sensing, and integrated photonic systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy
Confocal microscopy is an advanced microscopic technique. The prime advantage of the confocal microscope over other microscopy techniques is its ability to block the out-of-focus light from the illuminated samples using pinholes. It is widely used with fluorescence optics to obtain high-resolution, sharp contrast images. Unlike optical microscopes, confocal microscopes use a focused beam of light laser to scan the entire sample surface at different z-planes. These microscopes are, therefore,...
01:16Focusing of Light in the Eye
Light rays enter the eye through the cornea, a transparent dome-shaped tissue that is the eye's outermost layer. The cornea bends or refracts, light rays traveling to the pupil. The shape of the cornea determines how much of the light is bent and whether the image will be focused correctly on the retina at the back of the eye. Once the light has passed through both refraction layers, it converges into a single focal point onto a small area. This is where photoreceptors start transforming...