Optofluidics: a new tool for sensing

Over the last years optofluidics has emerged as a very promising field. The integration at microscopic level between optics and microfluidics provides a number of unique characteristics that cannot be obtained with solid materials only. This paper briefly reviews the state of the art on optofluidics for sensing applications. We first describe the different approaches in order to realized optofluidic waveguides. These waveguides allow an increased interaction efficiency between the light and the liquid substance that can be very useful in sensing applications (fluorescence, absorption spectroscopy, etc.). We then illustrate high sensitive optofluidic devices such as Mach-Zehnder interferometers, Fabry-Perot cavities and ring resonators. Examples of applications of optofluidic sensors for chemical and biological analysis are given.