Poly(dimethylsiloxane) microlens array integrated with microfluidic channel for fluorescence spectroscopy detection

Abstract

Fluorescence spectroscopy detection has been commonly used in chemical and biochemical applications as it provides a good reliability and high sensitivity. Commercially available fluorescence spectroscopy system is typically bulky and expensive, hence making it inconvenience for on-site measurement which requires portable systems. However, the drawback of small devices is that it has a low detection volume, resulting in low fluorescence signal. In this paper, we report a microfluidic channel implemented with a microlens array for enhancing the performance of fluorescence spectroscopy detection. The microlens array was used to focus an excitation light onto the microchannel, thus expecting the increase in fluorescence detection signal. Both microchannels and microlens arrays were individually fabricated from poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using low-cost printed-circuit-board master molds. The fabrication and characterization of PDMS-based microlens arrays are discussed. In short, the microlens in plano-convex shape was designed with diameters of 700, 800 and 900 microns. The fabricated microlens arrays were characterized for radius of curvatures, SAGs and focal lengths. The plano-convex microlens array was then integrated into a microfluidic system in order to investigate the overall performance of fluorescence spectroscopy detection. Experiments were conducted with two fluorescence dyes, i.e. Rhodamine 6G and Coumarin 153. The preliminary results revealed that the PDMS microlens array implemented on the designed system shows potential for improving excitation and emission light intensity and, as a consequence, signal to background ratio of the fluorescence spectroscopy detection.