Integrated III-V semiconductor flow cytometer with capillary fill micro-fluidics

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and micro-fluidic technologies offer a potential route toward truly low cost, portable/disposable flow cytometers e.g. [1]. Currently, however, dependence on external light sources, detectors and fluid pumping equipment undermines true portability and adds significant cost. Emitters and detectors can be incorporated on-chip using pick-and place style fabrication e.g. [2], but, alignment constraints and cost make this approach impractical for anything but the simplest systems. We present a prototype of an integrated III-V semiconductor flow cytometer with an on-chip capillary fill fluid delivery system designed to overcome these limitations. Monolithic integration allows photonic elements such as lasers and photo-detectors to be defined on a common substrate using high resolution lithographic techniques while use of capillary fill micro-fluidics removes the need for large scale expensive pumping equipment