Holographic Opto-Fluidic Microscopy

Summary

UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical Engineering have developed a system for holographic opto-fluidic microscopy.

Background

Opto-fluidics is an emerging field that aims to merge the available toolset of optics and microfluidics to create more flexible and reconfigurable optical devices with novel functionalities that can be incorporated into lab-on-a-chip platforms. Opto-Fluidic Microscopy (OFM) is another concept that came out of this emerging field, which aims to image objects flowing within a micro-fluidic channel without the use of any lenses. In general, microfluidics enabled on-chip digital microscopy could especially be important for global health problems to assist diagnosis of disease in remote locations, and holds significant promise not only for point-of-care operation but also for telemedicine applications. The development of novel imaging modalities for microfluidics is required to achieve high spatial resolution and throughput.

Innovation

UCLA researchers led by Prof. Aydogan Ozcan have developed a new system for holographic opto-fluidic microscopy (HOM). This modality utilizes partially coherent inline holography and pixel super-resolution to create high-resolution amplitude and phase images of the objects flowing within micro-fluidic channels without the use of a lens.

Applications

This technology could be useful in medical diagnostics and screening.

Advantages

• HOM does not involve complicated fabrication processes or precise alignment, nor does it require a highly uniform flow of objects within microfluidic channels
• Lens-less technology

Patent Status