Microfluidics-based hairpin resonator biosensor for biological cell detection

In this work, a microwave hairpin resonator was used for the detection of biological cells fabricated and integrated with microfluidics. The biosensor was a microfluidic device constructed from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and negative photoresist (SU-8) using micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) technology to measure and characterize biological cells in a liquid medium. A biosensor with a high-Q dielectric resonator allowed the detection of biological cells by measuring the scattering parameter (S-parameter) responses at a resonant frequency of 2.17 GHz. Measurements and analyses of Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) and B16F10 melanoma cells (musmusculus skin melanoma) were then performed to obtain the linear relationship between S11 responses and the number of cells.A model of coupled resonators in terms of capacitances was then used to analyze the effects of DMEM and the cells. These results demonstrate the potential of hairpin resonator sensors for the analysis of biological cells.