Field-emission light sources for lab-on-a-chip microdevices

Microfluidic devices called lab-on-a-chips utilize two kinds of characterization of a biosample, which are based on spectrofluorimetric and spectrophotometric methodologies. Lab-on-a-chips are equipped with an optical instrumentation and a software system that allow detecting of the optical signals and their processing into spectral characteristics. In the paper, technology of lab-on-a-chip (cytometer microdevice) and miniature silicon-glass field-emission light source (FELS) is described. Electrons emitted from a silicon cathode covered with carbon nanotubes excite light emission from nanocrystalline rare earth doped yttrium oxide phosphor (anode). The emitted light can be precisely tailored to the main absorption line of a fluorescent marker. The presented system has been successfully used for testing of the cow embryos as well as fluorescent-marked porcine oocytes.