An integrated microfluidics-on-SAW (“μF-on-SAW”) setup for multi-sample sensing

This work describes the design and fabrication of a novel approach to achieve multi-sample sensing based on a single surface acoustic wave (SAW) device. This is achieved with the integration of a multi-channel microfluidic module, which divides a SAW device into N discrete sub-areas, each of them capable of hosting an individual experiment. The fabrication of the micromodule was realized by means of soft lithography of poly(dimethylsiloxane) - PDMS. Evaluation of the setup showed successful operation with liquid samples. Regarding the sensing performance of the new setup, experiments proved that it exhibits remarkable reproducibility in the signal output and sensitivity among the sub-areas. The microfluidics-on-SAW setup, thus, appears to be a robust and reliable system for use in the cases that multi-analyte sensing is needed, such as biological applications regarding biomarker detection, drug screening, etc.