Optofluidics

Optofluidics is a research and technology area that combines the advantages of microfluidics and optics. Applications of the technology include displays, biosensors, lab-on-chip devices, lenses, and molecular imaging tools and energy.

History

The idea of fluid-optical devices can be traced back at least as far as the 18th century, when spinning pools of mercury were proposed (and eventually developed) as liquid mirror telescopes. In the 20th century new technologies such as dye lasers and liquid core waveguides were developed that took advantage of the tunability and physical adaptability that liquids provided to these newly emerging photonic systems. The field of optofluidics formally began to emerge in the mid-2000s as the fields of microfluidics and nanophotonics were maturing and researchers began to look for synergies between these two areas.^[1] One of the primary applications of the field is for lab-on-a-chip and biophotonic products.^[2][3][4]

Current Research and Technologies

There are numerous research groups worldwide working on optofluidics, including those listed below.

Country	University / Institute	Group	Topic
Australia	University of Sydney	CUDOS (Eggleton)[5]	Photonic Crystals.
Austria	Johannes Kepler University Linz	Institute for Microelectronics and Microsensors (Jakoby)[6]	Fluidic sensors, Miniaturized IR sensor systems, microfluidic actuators.
Canada	University of Toronto	Sinton Group[7]	biosensors, energy.
Canada	University of Toronto	Biophotonics Group (Levy)[8]	Photonic crystals, sensors.
Canada	The University of British Columbia	MiNa Group[9]	Integrated optofluidics, sensors.
Canada	Queen's University	Escobedo Group[10]	Optical Diagnostics, Micro/Nano-devices.
Denmark	Danish Technical University	Kristensen Group[11]	Polymer optofluidics, lasers, single molecule analysis.
Israel	Hebrew University	NanoOpto Group (Levy)[12]	Optical Resonators, Plasmonics.
Iran	Sharif University of Technology	M.S. Saidi Group[13]	Optical Diagnostic Methods, Biofluids.
South Korea	Seoul National University	Biophotonics and Nano Engineering Lab (Kwon)[14]	Directed assembly, sensors, structural color.
South Korea	KAIST	Superlattice Nanomaterials Lab (Yang)[15]	Optofluidic materials, SERS sensors.
Germany	Technical University Berlin	Institute of Optics and Atomic Physics	Glass surface and volume structuring.
Germany	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Biophotonic Sensors Group (Mappes)[16]	Sensors, fabrication and integration techniques.
Germany	University of Münster	Nonlinear Photonics Group (Denz) [17]	Optical tweezing and its integration into optofluidic setups, direct-laser-writing of optofluidic components
Republic of China	National Taiwan University	Bio-Optofluidic System Lab [18]	optical sensing for dynamic cellular phenotyping.
Republic of China	National Yang-Ming University	Integrated Biomedical and Optofluidic Systems Lab [19]	optofluidic sensing, thermophoreis, SERS, LSPR.
Switzerland	EPFL	Psaltis Group[20]	optofluidic switches, imaging, energy.
Singapore	Nanyang Technological University	A.Q. Liu Group[21]	Optofluidic waveguides, lab-on-a-chip devices.
Singapore	Nanyang Technological University	N.T. Nguyen Group[22]	Diagnostics, Transport.
Template:ES	ICFO-The Institute of Photonic Sciences	Quidant group[23]	LSPR sensing, Plasmonic tweezers.
Turkey	Koç University	Nano-Optics Research Lab.[24]	Droplet resonators, optofluidic waveguides, optical trapping and manipulation.
United Kingdom	University of St Andrews	Optical Manipulation Group[25]	Optofluidic sensing, trapping, Raman spectroscopy, cell sorting, photoporation
United Kingdom	University of Strathclyde	Centre for Microsystems & Photonics[26]	Optofluidic components in photonic systems
United States	Purdue University	Steve Wereley Group[27]	Holographic optical tweezing, Optoelctrokinetic Patterning, Programmable Microfluidics, Micro-PIV.
United States	Cornell University	Erickson Group[28]	nanophotonic tweezing, optofluidic switches, biosensors, energy.
United States	UC Santa Cruz	Applied Optics Group[29]	Arrow waveguides, single molecule optofluidics.
United States	Brigham Young University	Hawkins Research Group[30]	Optofluidic waveguides, single molecule optical analysis.
United States	Caltech	Yang Biophotonics Group[31]	Optofluidic Microscopy, Imaging, OCT.
United States	UC San Diego	Ultrafast and Nanoscale Optics Group (Fainman)[32]	Nanoscale lasers, optofluidic switches, silicon devices.
United States	University of Michigan	Sherman Fan Lab[33]	Optofluidic lasers, SERS, ring resonators.
United States	University of Maryland	White Research Group[34]	Medical diagnostics, SERS, circulating tumor cells.
United States	Caltech	Nanofabrication Group (Scherer)[35]	Optofluidic Lasers, DNA detection, photonic crystals.
United States	Penn State	BioNEMS Laboratory (Huang)[36]	Optofluidic lenses, plasmonics.
United States	UC Berkeley	BioPOETS (Lee)[37]	Optofluidic transport, SERS, microfluidics.
United States	UC Berkeley	Berkeley Integrated Photonics Lab (Wu)[38]	Optoelectronic tweezers.
United States	UC San Diego	Lo Research Group[39]	Optofluidic flow cytometry.
United States	UIUC	Nano Sensors Group (Cunningham)[40]	Photonic Crystal Sensors, SERS.
United States	Harvard	Crozier Group[41]	Near Field Trapping, SERS
United States	Princeton University	Imaging Physics Group[42]	Microfluidic Tomography,[43] Deconvolution,[44] Superresolution[45]
United States	Iowa State University	Nastaran Hashemi Group[46]	Optofluidics, microfluidics, biosensors, diagnostics and therapeutics, energy.
United States	Iowa State University	Attinger Group[47]	Optofluidic transport
United States	Boston University	LINBS (Altug)[48]	Plasmonics, nanohole sensors, high throughput diagnostics
United States	University of Wisconsin, Madison	Micro/nano sensors and actuators group [49]	Liquid tunable microlenses.
Belgium	Vrije Universiteit Brussel	Brussels Photonics Team (B-PHOT) [50]	Polymer optofluidics, biosensors

Companies and Technology Transfer

Optofluidic and related research has led to the formation of a number of new products and start-up companies. Varioptic specializes in the development of electrowetting based lenses for numerous applications. Optofluidics, Inc. was launched in 2011 from Cornell University in order to develop tools for molecular trapping and disease diagnosis based on photonic resonator technology. Liquilume from UC Santa Cruz specializes in molecular diagnostics based on arrow waveguides.

In 2012, the European Commission has launched a new COST framework that is concerned solely with optofluidic technology and their application.^[51] The goal of MP1205:Advances in Optofluidics is to strengthen the optofluidics sector and to foster the connections between European research labs by organizing joint workshops and mutual laboratory visits.

References

Sources

• Fainman, Yeshaiahu; Psaltis, Demetri (18 September 2009). Optofluidics: fundamentals, devices, and applications. McGraw Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-160156-6. Retrieved 26 June 2011. 
• Zahn, Jeffrey D. (31 October 2009). Methods in bioengineering: biomicrofabrication and biomicrofluidics. Artech House. ISBN 978-1-59693-400-9. Retrieved 26 June 2011.