Issue 11, 2023

The next generation of hybrid microfluidic/integrated circuit chips: recent and upcoming advances in high-speed, high-throughput, and multifunctional lab-on-IC systems

Abstract

Since the field's inception, pioneers in microfluidics have made significant progress towards realizing complete lab-on-chip systems capable of sophisticated sample analysis and processing. One avenue towards this goal has been to join forces with the related field of microelectronics, using integrated circuits (ICs) to perform on-chip actuation and sensing. While early demonstrations focused on using microfluidic–IC hybrid chips to miniaturize benchtop instruments, steady advancements in the field have enabled a new generation of devices that expand past miniaturization into high-performance applications that would not be possible without IC hybrid integration. In this review, we identify recent examples of labs-on-chip that use high-resolution, high-speed, and multifunctional electronic and photonic chips to expand the capabilities of conventional sample analysis. We focus on three particularly active areas: a) high-throughput integrated flow cytometers; b) large-scale microelectrode arrays for stimulation and multimodal sensing of cells over a wide field of view; c) high-speed biosensors for studying molecules with high temporal resolution. We also discuss recent advancements in IC technology, including on-chip data processing techniques and lens-free optics based on integrated photonics, that are poised to further advance microfluidic–IC hybrid chips.

Graphical abstract: The next generation of hybrid microfluidic/integrated circuit chips: recent and upcoming advances in high-speed, high-throughput, and multifunctional lab-on-IC systems

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
20 Dec. 2022
Accepted
14 Apr. 2023
First published
20 Apr. 2023

Lab Chip, 2023,23, 2553-2576

The next generation of hybrid microfluidic/integrated circuit chips: recent and upcoming advances in high-speed, high-throughput, and multifunctional lab-on-IC systems

V. Iyer, D. A. Issadore and F. Aflatouni, Lab Chip, 2023, 23, 2553 DOI: 10.1039/D2LC01163H

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