Microfluidic Optical Devices

Abstract

DefinitionMicrofluidic optical devices (MOD) are the emerging technology that combines today's microfluidics technology with the optics. However, MOD can be classified as the integration of these two technologies rather than combination of them. This integration provides a new approach for using microfluidics for control and manipulation of samples and optics for sensing. In this entry we propose a comprehensive review of emerging applications for microfluidic optical devices. OverviewIn many of the biological applications, microfluidics and optics technology have already been used in combination -microfluidics for control and manipulation of the samples and optics for sensing. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and lab-on-a-chip communities try to embed optical devices into their microsystems to improve functionality of their devices. Presenting a comprehensive review of all the research in the field of microfluidic and optics integration is out the scope of this entry, but several numbers of representative examples of this integration are provided. Moreover, this integration results in handing:• Electric field induction by light exposure [1] • Integrated detection systems for microfluidic application (which increases the portability of the entire system) [3-5] • Sensitivity increase for the existing detection system [7,8] • Cell manipulation [9,11,12] • Small cell population sorting with high accuracy by tunable optical fibers [12] • Rapid detection of environmental contaminants [13] • A platform to study mammalian individual axonal injury [14] • Variable-focus liquid lens [15] Basic MethodologyLatest developments related to the combination of integrated optics and microfluidics have evolved towards device miniaturization with the ultimate goal of integrating many optical components onto a compact microchip, producing photonic integrated circuits with low cost and high degrees of