Open AccessFemtosecond laser fabricated monolithic chip for optical trapping and stretching of single cells
Author(s) -
Nicola Bellini,
Krishna Chaitanya Vishnubhatla,
Francesca Bragheri,
Lorenzo Ferrara,
P. Minzioni,
Roberta Ramponi,
Ilaria Cristiani,
Roberto Osellame
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.18.004679
Subject(s) - femtosecond , materials science , fabrication , laser , optical tweezers , optoelectronics , surface micromachining , optics , medicine , physics , alternative medicine , pathology
We report on the fabrication by a femtosecond laser of an optofluidic device for optical trapping and stretching of single cells. Versatility and three-dimensional capabilities of this fabrication technology provide straightforward and extremely accurate alignment between the optical and fluidic components. Optical trapping and stretching of single red blood cells are demonstrated, thus proving the effectiveness of the proposed device as a monolithic optical stretcher. Our results pave the way for a new class of optofluidic devices for single cell analysis, in which, taking advantage of the flexibility of femtosecond laser micromachining, it is possible to further integrate sensing and sorting functions.