A radio frequency device for measurement of minute dielectric property changes in microfluidic channels

We demonstrate a sensitive radio frequency (rf) device to detect small dielectric property changes in microfluidic channel. The device consists of an on-chip Wilkinson power divider and a rat-race hybrid, which are built with planar microstrip lines and thin film chip resistors. Interference is used to cancel parasitic background signals. As a result, the measurement sensitivity is improved by more than 20 dB compared with conventional transmission lines. Compared with an ultrasensitive slot antenna/cuvette assembly [K. M. Taylor and D. W. van der Weide, IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech. 53, 1576 (2005)], the proposed rf device is two times more sensitive.