Lab-in-a-tube: on-chip integration of glass optofluidic ring resonators for label-free sensing applications

Lab Chip. 2012 Aug 7;12(15):2649-55. doi: 10.1039/c2lc40275k. Epub 2012 Jun 28.

Abstract

The fabrication of tubular rolled-up optofluidic ring resonators (RU-OFRRs) based on glass (SiO(2)) material with high quality factors is reported. A novel methodology combining lab-on-a-chip fabrication methods and rolled-up nanotech is presented for the fabrication of fully integrated tubular optofluidic sensors. The microfluidic integration of several RU-OFRRs on one chip is solved by enclosing the microtubes with a patterned robust SU-8 polymeric matrix. A viewport on each microtube enables exact excitation and monitoring of whispering gallery modes with a photoluminescence spectroscopy system under constant ambient conditions, while exchanging the content of the RU-OFRR with liquids of different refractive indices. The refractrometric sensor capabilities are investigated regarding signal stability, sensitivity and reliability. The sensitivity of the integrated RU-OFRR, which is the response of the modes to the change in refractive index of the liquid, is up to 880 nm/refractive index units (RIU).

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Equipment Design
  • Glass / chemistry
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / instrumentation*
  • Nanotechnology / instrumentation
  • Refractometry / instrumentation*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity