A Wide-Band Coplanar Waveguide Delivery System for Sub-Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields Exposure

Sub-nanosecond pulsed electric fields (sub-nsPEFs) present a promising tool for cellular and intracellular electro-manipulation. In this article, we propose a microfluidic device based on a coplanar waveguide (CPW) for high-intensity sub-nsPEF delivery and biomedical investigations. To deliver high-intensity and ultra-short-duration pulses, the CPW device features a miniaturized gap width of 345 µm. Numerical simulations and measurements confirm that this device presents a return loss lower than -10 dB over a wide frequency bandwidth, up to 3.7 GHz. Additionally, the results demonstrate a consistent electric field homogeneity within the CPW channels, particularly in the central area where the biological samples will be exposed. The CPW-based device was characterized under high-voltage sub-nanosecond duration pulse exposure. The results evidenced that the device is suitable for the delivery of ∼18 MV/m intensity and 500 ps duration pulses.