Optofluidic light modulator integrated in lab-on-a-chip

Abstract

Microfluidic lenses are relevant optical components for sensing application in lab-on-a-chip devices, guaranteeing a robust alignment of the elements, a high level of compactness and tunable optical properties. In this work we describe an innovative integrated in-plane microfluidic lens. The device shows both an optimized shape capable of reducing spherical aberrations and periodically tunable optical properties. Indeed through the combination of the lens with a droplet generator module, we have been able to obtain an integrated optofluidic modulator capable of both on-demand on/off switching and periodic modulation of light. The device possesses a simple 3D geometry, which has been realized by exploiting the 3D capability of the femtosecond laser micromachining fabrication technique.