Abstract
It has long been thought that an optical sensor, such as a light waveguide implemented total analysis system (TAS), is one of the functional components that will be needed to realize a “ubiquitous human healthcare system” in the near future. We have already proposed the fundamental structure for a light waveguide capable of illuminating a living cell or particle running along a microfluidic channel, as well as of detecting fluorescence even from the extremely weak power of such a minute particle. In order to develop novel functions to detect the internal structure of living cells quickly, an angular scanning method that sequentially changes the direction of illumination of the minute cell or particle may be crucial. In this paper, we investigate fluorescence detection from moving particles by switching the laser power delivery path of plural light waveguides as a preliminary experiment toward this novel method. To construct an experimental system able to incorporate a switching light source mechanism cost effectively, we utilized a conventional TAS chip with plural waveguide pairs arranged in parallel, and a forced vibration mechanism on an optical fiber tip by a piezoelectric actuator. With this system, we performed an experiment to detect extremely weak fluorescence using micro particles with a fluorescent substance attached and an optical TAS chip that incorporated a microfluidic channel and three pairs of laser-power-delivering light waveguide cores. We successfully obtained clear, quasi-triangular-shaped pulses in fluorescent signals from resin particles running across the intersection under three different conditions: (1) a particle with approximately the same velocity as that of a forced-vibrated optical fiber tip of approximately 700 mm/s, (2) a particle with velocity 1 digit smaller than that of an optical fiber tip, and (3) a particle with velocity approximately 1/20 that of an optical fiber tip.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Gregor NF (2002) Device and method for investigating analysis in liquid suspension or solution. International Application Published under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), PCT/GB02/05567
Mapps T, Vannahme C, Schelb M, Lemmer U, Mohr J (2009) Design for optimized coupling of organic semiconductor laser light into polymer waveguides for high integrated biophotonic sensors. Microphoto Eng 86:1499–1501
Mitasaki T, Senda M (2006) Write-once recording for multilayered optical waveguide-type holographic cards. Optic Soc Am 23(3):659–663
Ohkubo T, Hashimoto M, Hirota T, Itao K, Niwa T, Maeda H, Mitsuoka Y, Nakajimka K (2000) Mechanical characteristics of an optical flying-head assembly with visible light-wave guide flexure. J Inf Storage Process Syst 2:323–330
Ohkubo T, Terada N, Yoshida Y (2011) Minute particle detection using a light-wave-guide incorporated optical total analysis system. Microsyst Technol 17:849–856
Ohkubo T, Terada N, Yoshida Y (2013) In-plane detection of scattered light from a minute particle using a resin-based light waveguide incorporated with a microfluidic channel. Microsyst Technol 19:1319–1328
Ohkubo T, Terada N, Yoshida Y (2014) Illumination and scattered light detection using a light source consisting of sub-micrometer defect arrays formed on a extremely flat light waveguide core. Microsyst Technol 20:1413–1423
Ohkubo T, Terada N, Yoshida Y (2015) Fluorescence detection of minute particles using a resin-based optical total analysis system with a high-aspect-ratio light waveguide core. Microsyst Technol 22:2611–2622
Okagbare PI, Emoey LM, Datta P, Goettert J, Soper SA (2010) Fabrication of cyclic olefin copolymer waveguide embedded in a multi-channel poly (methyl methacrylate) fluidic chip for evanescence excitation. Lab Chip 10:66–73
Senda M, Aoki Y (2008) Identification data reproduction in multilayered optical waveguide-type holographic memory cards. Appl Opt 47(21):3973–3979
Sheridan AK, Stewart G, Ur-Reyman H, Suyal N, Uttamchandani DG (2009) In-plane integration of polymer microfluidic channels with optical waveguides––a preliminary investigation. IEEE Sens J 9(12):1627–1632
Takahashi N, Aki A, Ukai T, Nakajima Y, Maekawa T, Hanajiri T (2009) Electrophoretic mobility and resultant zeta potential of an individual cell analyzed by electrophoretic counter method. In: Int. Symp. Semiconductor Device Research Symposium (Washington, DC, December 2009), WP4-03
Vazquez RM, Osellame R, Nolli D, Dongre C, Vlekkert HVD, Ramponi R, Pollnau M, Cellulo G (2009) Integration of femtosecond laser written optical waveguides in a lab-on-chip. Lab Chip 9:91–96
Yagi S, Imai T, Ueno M, Ohtani Y, Endo M, Kurokawa Y, Yoshikawa H, Watanabe T, Fukuda M (2008) Pit distribution design for computer-generated waveguide holography. Jpn J Appl Phys 46(2):942–946
Yamada H, Yoshida Y, Terada N, Hagiwara S, Komatsu T, Terasawa A (2009) Laser fabrication of a micro-fluidic device for a blood cell counter. In: Proceedings of autumn annual meeting, Japan Society for Precision Engineering, G64, pp 543–544
Acknowledgments
This research has been supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research [category of general research field (C)] since April 2014, sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. It has also been partially supported since April 2011 by a Grant for the Program of the Strategic Research Foundation at Private Universities S1101017, organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.
The authors would like to thank Dr. Makoto Hikita and Dr. Saburo Imamura, NTT Advanced Technology Corporation, for their valuable technical advice on designing a resin-based light waveguide structure with a 13-μm core and fabricating a 15-μm microfluidic channel, as well as for their suggestions concerning a method for precisely observing a transparent light waveguide core structure under a high-magnification optical microscope.
We would also like to thank Dr. Hidetaka Maeda, Sigma Koki Corporation, for his valuable advice and proposal concerning introducing laser power into the minute light waveguide core of the optical TAS chip.
Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Tomofumi Ukai, Assistant Professor, Toyo University, for his valuable and effective advice regarding the introduction of a resin particle dispersed sample into a narrow microfluidic channel by applying higher pumping pressure on a PDMS-top-covered TAS chip, and the treatment of fluorescence substance-attached particles.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ohkubo, T., Terada, N. & Yoshida, Y. Preliminary scanning fluorescence detection of a minute particle running along a waveguide implemented microfluidic channel using a light switching mechanism. Microsyst Technol 22, 1227–1240 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-016-2844-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-016-2844-0