Development of an Opto-fluidic Microsystem Dedicated to Chemical Analysis in a Nuclear Environment

Micromachining techniques enable the fabrication of innovative lab-on-a-chip. Following the trend in chemical and biological analysis, the use of microsystems also appears compelling in the nuclear industry. The volume reduction of radioactive solutions is especially attractive in order to reduce the workers radiation exposition in the context of off-line analysis in spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. We hence present the development of an opto-fluidic sensor combining microfluidic channels for fluid transportation and integrated optics for detection. With the aim of achieving automated microanalysis with reduced response time the sensor is made compatible with a commercial microfluidic holder. Therefore the chip is connected to computer controlled pumps and electrovalves thanks to capillary tubing. In this paper we emphasis on the fluid handling capacities of the opto-fluidic sensor.