Three-Dimensional Large-Scale Fused Silica Microfluidic Chips Enabled by Hybrid Laser Microfabrication for Continuous-Flow UV Photochemical Synthesis

A monolithic microfluidic probe for ambient mass spectrometry imaging of biological tissues

Ambient mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful technique that allows for the simultaneous mapping of hundreds of molecules in biological samples under atmospheric conditions, requiring minimal sample preparation. We have developed nanospray desorption electrospray ionization (nano-DESI), a liquid extraction-based ambient ionization technique, which has proven to be sensitive and capable of achieving high spatial resolution. We have previously described an integrated microfluidic probe, which simplifies the nano-DESI setup, but is quite difficult to fabricate. Herein, we introduce a facile and scalable strategy for fabricating microfluidic devices for nano-DESI MSI applications. Our approach involves the use of selective laser-assisted etching (SLE) of fused silica to create a monolithic microfluidic probe (SLE-MFP). Unlike the traditional photolithography-based fabrication, SLE eliminates the need for the wafer bonding process and allows for automated, scalable fabrication of the probe. The chamfered design of the sampling port and ESI emitter significantly reduces the amount of polishing required to fine-tune the probe thereby streamlining and simplifying the fabrication process. We have also examined the performance of a V-shaped probe, in which only the sampling port is fabricated using SLE technology. The V-shaped design of the probe is easy to fabricate and provides an opportunity to independently optimize the size and shape of the electrospray emitter. We have evaluated the performance of SLE-MFP by imaging mouse tissue sections. Our results demonstrate that SLE technology enables the fabrication of robust monolithic microfluidic probes for MSI experiments. This development expands the capabilities of nano-DESI MSI and makes the technique more accessible to the broader scientific community.

Manufacture of Three-Dimensional Optofluidic Spot-Size Converters in Fused Silica Using Hybrid Laser Microfabrication

We propose a hybrid laser microfabrication approach for the manufacture of three-dimensional (3D) optofluidic spot-size converters in fused silica glass by a combination of femtosecond (fs) laser microfabrication and carbon dioxide laser irradiation. Spatially shaped fs laser-assisted chemical etching was first performed to form 3D hollow microchannels in glass, which were composed of embedded straight channels, tapered channels, and vertical channels connected to the glass surface. Then, carbon dioxide laser-induced thermal reflow was carried out for the internal polishing of the whole microchannels and sealing parts of the vertical channels. Finally, 3D optofluidic spot-size converters (SSC) were formed by filling a liquid-core waveguide solution into laser-polished microchannels. With a fabricated SSC structure, the mode spot size of the optofluidic waveguide was expanded from ~8 μm to ~23 μm with a conversion efficiency of ~84.1%. Further measurement of the waveguide-to-waveguide coupling devices in the glass showed that the total insertion loss of two symmetric SSC structures through two ~50 μm-diameter coupling ports was ~6.73 dB at 1310 nm, which was only about half that of non-SSC structures with diameters of ~9 μm at the same coupling distance. The proposed approach holds great potential for developing novel 3D fluid-based photonic devices for mode conversion, optical manipulation, and lab-on-a-chip sensing.