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Monodisperse and size-tunable high-quality factor microsphere biolasers
Optics Letters
|May 14, 2021
Summary
We developed a new microfluidic method to create tunable, monodisperse protein microsphere biolasers. This technique enables mass production of high-quality biolasers for biosensing and medical applications.
Area of Science:
- Optics
- Biotechnology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Microsphere biolasers show promise for biosensing and cell tracking.
- Existing fabrication methods lack reproducibility and tunability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel microfluidic fabrication technique for producing nearly monodisperse, dye-doped protein microsphere biolasers.
- To demonstrate tunable size control and high reproducibility of the fabricated microsphere biolasers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a microfluidic-based approach for fabricating protein microspheres.
- Incorporated dye-doping for laser emission.
- Characterized microsphere size, lasing properties (threshold, Q-factor), and reproducibility.
Main Results:
- Achieved tunable microsphere sizes ranging from 50 to 150 µm.
- Demonstrated high monodispersity, with ~70% of 85 µm beads having the same size.
- Observed whispering gallery mode lasing with a low threshold (7 µJ/mm²) and high Q-factor (up to 3000).
- Showcased similar lasing characteristics for microspheres of the same size, indicating high reproducibility.
Conclusions:
- The microfluidic fabrication technique offers an effective method for mass production of high-Q factor microsphere biolasers.
- This advancement is a significant step towards practical biosensing and medical applications.
