Based on the optofluidic technology, many kinds of high performance optofluidic sensors can be fabricated by different designs. The optofluidics sensors can be divided into four categories according to their structures. The first two categories are the optofluidic sensors based on the photonic crystal cavity and the whispering gallery mode. When the fluids flow through the cavities of the sensors, the couplemode will change because of the changed refractive index by the fluids, and the responding light signals will change as well. The third category optofluidic sensors are based on the optical waveguide. The fluids will interact with the evanescent field produced by the total reflection of the light in the optical waveguide, leading to the change of the responding light signals. The fourth category optofluidic sensors are based on the surface plasmon resonance. The sensors are very sensitive to the refractive index of the metal surface, and the refractive index changed by the fluids will shift the resonance peak. The optofluidic sensors are very sensitive to the changing of the refractive index, with high sensitivity and accuracy, meanwhile, the optofluidic system enjoys the advantages of low-cost, miniaturization and simple structure. As the detectors are approaching the microcosmic scale, the optofluidic sensors will play an important role in the detection and biochemical analysis area.

optofluidics  /  sensor  /  detection  /  biochemical analysis