Optofluidics: The Photonic Integration of Non-Solid Media

Integrated photonic devices have traditionally been designed for data communications using exclusively solid-state materials. However, a vast area of potential applications, in particular in the life sciences, involve interactions of light with liquids and gases. Recently, a number of approaches have been considered that are aimed at integrating such non-solid media with chip-scale photonic structures. We have developed a versatile, planar photonic platform based on hollow-core optical waveguides (ARROWs). I will first describe the physical foundations and optical characteristics of ARROWs . I will focus on innovative photonic approaches we are implementing on the ARROW platform to enable and improve devices for applications. These include integrated spectral filters, multi-spot excitation with interferometric waveguide structures, and optical particle manipulation for on-chip trapping and sorting.

Speaker: Holger Schmidt, UC Santa Cruz