Single cell detection using a glass-based by femtosecond laser pulses†

ic f s eq mi in d s. T nm as v ere on tia gle grated with optical waveguides is that no interconnection is needed between the microfluidic device and the detector. fluidic devices are capable of detecting biological cells with low In this article, we introduce a glass based optofluidic device fabricated by femtosecond laser microprocessing as a means to device has tapered circular ensurate to the targeted cell. without resorting to additional nt light in the device is guided ely small diameter, which is red microchannel. The guided urbance of optical property at nel, enabling single cell detec-ransmission intensity change. be used to locally excite the es through the microchannel of single cell detection by ht collected by optical wave-the glass based optofluidic PAPER www.rsc.org/loc | Lab on a Chipfigures S1–S3. See DOI: 10.1039/b808366ecost, small volume of samples, and disposability to avoid contamination. However, it is not practical to decrease the neck size of polymer microchannels down to the targeted cell size because cells would then tend to clog, increasing flow resistance structure makes it possible to realize a ‘‘confocal’ ’ detection concept without incorporating additional device components. In addition, glass is a desirable substrate material for biological applications because it offers excellent optical, chemical, biological, and thermal stability. Because of the device trans-parency, structural integrity, and monolithic structure, addi-tional cell treatment concepts can be easily incorporated into the device, including laser based single cell processing. The fabrication of glass based optofluidic devices is based on femtosecond laser microprocessing. Ultrafast lase