Femtosecond laser fabricated monolithic chip for optical trapping and stretching of single cells

We report on the fabrication by a femtosecond laser of an optofluidic device for optical trapping and stretching of single cells. Versatility and three-dimensional capabilities of this fabrication technology provide straightforward and extremely accurate alignment between the optical and fluidic components. Optical trapping and stretching of single red blood cells are demonstrated, thus proving the effectiveness of the proposed device as a monolithic optical stretcher. Our results pave the way for a new class of optofluidic devices for single cell analysis, in which, taking advantage of the flexibility of femtosecond laser micromachining, it is possible to further integrate sensing and sorting functions. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America