Comparison of Illumination Methods for Flow-Through Optofluidic Biosensors

Abstract

Optofluidic biosensors have become an important medical diagnostic tool because they allow for rapid, high-sensitivity testing of small samples compared to standard lab testing. For these devices, the practicality of use in a medical setting depends heavily on both the sensitivity of the device and the ease of alignment of passive chips to a light source. This paper uses a model previously validated by comparison to physical devices to compare alignment, power loss, and signal quality for windowed, laser line, and laser spot methods of top-down illumination.

Keywords

• optofluidic
• lab-on-a-chip
• fluorescence
• biosensor