We show the fabrication of a novel optofluidic chip that uses a a network of nanochannels optimized for the transport of DNA-stretched molecules. The molecules can move through the nanochannels in the femto-liter per second. The nanochannels are optically accessible via a transparent cover of pyrex, allowing fluorescence microscopy imaging of the travelling molecules. The nanochannels are surrounded by photonic crystal structures to enhance the emission of the fluorescent light. The photonic crystal structures provide an enhancement up to 2.5 times in the light emitted by fluorescent molecules in motion inside the nanochannels which increases to around 250 when normalized to the area of the nanochannels emitting fluorescence. The results may help to the detection of fluorescent molecules (like marked-DNA) in series by speeding it or allowing the use of less sophisticated equipment.

Date Published: 29 September 2017
PDF
Proc. SPIE 10345, Active Photonic Platforms IX, 1034509 (29 September 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2274054

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10345:
Active Photonic Platforms IX
Ganapathi S. Subramania; Stavroula Foteinopoulou, Editor(s)