Photonic integration platform with pump free microfluidics

Chip based particle sensing using 3D capillary fill microfluidics integrated with monolithically integrated lasers and photodetectors is used to demonstrate the feasibility of true chip scale photonic measurements of fluids. The approach is scalable and manufactured using industry standard compound semiconductor fabrication tools. The need for fluid speed regulation via external pumps is removed by measuring local particle velocity at the point of interrogation and particle position within the fluid flow is derived from multiple time resolved forward scattered light signals. Particle size discrimination of 10 and 15 μm polystyrene microbeads is used as an example.