We demonstrate a compact tunable filter based on a novel microfluidic single beam Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The optical path difference occurs during propagation across a fluid-air interface (meniscus), the inherent mobility of which provides tunability. Optical losses are minimized by optimizing the meniscus shape through surface treatment. Optical spectra are compared to a 3D beam propagation method simulations and good agreement is found. Tunability, low insertion loss and strength of the resonance are well reproduced. The device performance displays a resonance depth of -28 dB and insertion loss maintained at -4 dB.

© 2004 Optical Society of America

1. D. Sadot and E. Boimovich,�??Tunable optical filters for dense WDM networks,�?? IEEE Commun. Mag. 36, 50-55 (1998). [CrossRef]
2. M. G. Xu, H. Geiger and J. Dakin,�??Interrogation of fiber-optic interferometric sensors using acousto-optic tunable filter,�?? Electron. Lett. 31, 1487-1488 (1995). [CrossRef]
3. P.Luginbuhl, �??Femtoliter injector for DNA mass spectrometry,�?? Sens. Actuators B 63, 167-177 (2000) [CrossRef]
4. N. Nguyen and S. Wereley, Microfluidics (Artech House, Boston, MA, 2002).
5. . Lee, H. Moon, J. Fowler, T. Schoellhammer, C. Kim,�??Electrowetting and electrowetting-on-dielectric for microscale liquid handling,�?? Sens. Actuators A. 95, 259-268 (2002). [CrossRef]
6. H. Cao, J. O. Tegenfeldt, R. H. Austin, and S. Y. Chou,�??Gradient nanostructures for interfacing microfluidics and nanofluidics,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 3058-3060 (2002). [CrossRef]
7. Z. L. Tang, S. B. Hong, D. Djukic, V. Modi, A. C. West, J. Yardley, and R. M. Osgood,�??Electrokinetic flow control for composition modulation in a microchannel,�?? J. Micromech. Microeng. 12, 870-877 (2002). [CrossRef]
8. J.E. Fouquet, S. Venkatesh, M. Troll, D. Chen, H.F. Wong, P.W. Barth, �??A compact, scalable cross-connect switch using total internal reflection due to thermally-generated bubbles,�?? Lasers and Electro-Optics Society Annual Meeting, 1998. IEEE. 2, 169-170 (1998).
9. C. Kerbage and B.J. Eggleton, �??Microstructured optical fibers: Enabling integrated tunability for photonic devices,�?? Opt. Photon. News, September Issue, 38-43 (2002). [CrossRef]
10. C. E. Kerbage and B. J. Eggleton, �??Tunable microfluidic optical fiber grating,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 82, 1332-1334 (2003). [CrossRef]
11. P. Domachuk, H. C. Nguyen, B. J. Eggleton, M. Straub and M. Gu,�??Microfluidic tunable photonic band-gap device,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 1838-1840 (2004). [CrossRef]
12. P. Friis, K. Hoppe, O. Leistiko, K. B. Mogensen, J. Hubner, and J. P. Kutter, �??Monolithic integration of microfluidic channels and optical waveguides in silica on silicon,�?? Applied Optics 40, 6246-6251, (2001). [CrossRef]
13. S. Camou, H. Fujita and T. Fujii,�??PDMS 2D optical lens integrated with microfluidic channels:principle and characterization,�?? Lab Chip 3, 40-45 (2003) [CrossRef]
14. J. Hsieh, P. Mach, F. Cattaneo, S. Yang, T. Krupenkine, K. Baldwin, J.A. Rogers, �??Tunable microfluidic optical-fiber devices based on electrowetting pumps and plastic microchannels,�?? IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 15, 81-83 (2003). [CrossRef]
15. V. Lien, Y. Berdichevsky, and Y-H. Lo, �??A prealigned process of integrating optical waveguides with microfluidic devices,�?? IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 16, 1525-1527 (2004). [CrossRef]
16. S. Campopiano, R. Bernini, L. Zeni, P. Sarro,�??Microfluidic sensor based on integrated optical hollow waveguides,�?? Opt. Lett. 29, 1894-1896 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
17. H. C. Nguyen, P. Domachuk, B. J. Eggleton, M. J. Steel, M. Straub, M. Gu, and M. Sumetsky, "A new slant on photonic crystal fibers," Opt. Express 12, 1528-1539 (2004), <a href="http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-8-1528.">http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-8-1528</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]
18. R. Scarmozzino, A. Gopinath, R. Pregla, and S. Helfert, �??Numerical techniques for modeling guided-wave photonic devices,�?? IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 6, 150 (2000). [CrossRef]
19. R. Scarmozzino and R. Osgood, �??Comparison of finite difference and Fourier-transform solutions of the parabolic wave equation with emphasis on integrated-optics applications,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 8, 724 (1991). [CrossRef]

Appl. Phys. Lett.

• H. Cao, J. O. Tegenfeldt, R. H. Austin, and S. Y. Chou,�??Gradient nanostructures for interfacing microfluidics and nanofluidics,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 3058-3060 (2002). [CrossRef]
• C. E. Kerbage and B. J. Eggleton, �??Tunable microfluidic optical fiber grating,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 82, 1332-1334 (2003). [CrossRef]
• P. Domachuk, H. C. Nguyen, B. J. Eggleton, M. Straub and M. Gu,�??Microfluidic tunable photonic band-gap device,�?? Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 1838-1840 (2004). [CrossRef]

Applied Optics

• P. Friis, K. Hoppe, O. Leistiko, K. B. Mogensen, J. Hubner, and J. P. Kutter, �??Monolithic integration of microfluidic channels and optical waveguides in silica on silicon,�?? Applied Optics 40, 6246-6251, (2001). [CrossRef]

Electron. Lett.

• M. G. Xu, H. Geiger and J. Dakin,�??Interrogation of fiber-optic interferometric sensors using acousto-optic tunable filter,�?? Electron. Lett. 31, 1487-1488 (1995). [CrossRef]

IEEE Commun. Mag.

• D. Sadot and E. Boimovich,�??Tunable optical filters for dense WDM networks,�?? IEEE Commun. Mag. 36, 50-55 (1998). [CrossRef]

IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron.

• R. Scarmozzino, A. Gopinath, R. Pregla, and S. Helfert, �??Numerical techniques for modeling guided-wave photonic devices,�?? IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 6, 150 (2000). [CrossRef]

IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett.

• J. Hsieh, P. Mach, F. Cattaneo, S. Yang, T. Krupenkine, K. Baldwin, J.A. Rogers, �??Tunable microfluidic optical-fiber devices based on electrowetting pumps and plastic microchannels,�?? IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 15, 81-83 (2003). [CrossRef]
• V. Lien, Y. Berdichevsky, and Y-H. Lo, �??A prealigned process of integrating optical waveguides with microfluidic devices,�?? IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 16, 1525-1527 (2004). [CrossRef]

J. Micromech. Microeng.

• Z. L. Tang, S. B. Hong, D. Djukic, V. Modi, A. C. West, J. Yardley, and R. M. Osgood,�??Electrokinetic flow control for composition modulation in a microchannel,�?? J. Micromech. Microeng. 12, 870-877 (2002). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. A

• R. Scarmozzino and R. Osgood, �??Comparison of finite difference and Fourier-transform solutions of the parabolic wave equation with emphasis on integrated-optics applications,�?? J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 8, 724 (1991). [CrossRef]

Lab Chip

• S. Camou, H. Fujita and T. Fujii,�??PDMS 2D optical lens integrated with microfluidic channels:principle and characterization,�?? Lab Chip 3, 40-45 (2003) [CrossRef]

Lasers and Electro-Optics Society Annual

• J.E. Fouquet, S. Venkatesh, M. Troll, D. Chen, H.F. Wong, P.W. Barth, �??A compact, scalable cross-connect switch using total internal reflection due to thermally-generated bubbles,�?? Lasers and Electro-Optics Society Annual Meeting, 1998. IEEE. 2, 169-170 (1998).

Opt. Express

• H. C. Nguyen, P. Domachuk, B. J. Eggleton, M. J. Steel, M. Straub, M. Gu, and M. Sumetsky, "A new slant on photonic crystal fibers," Opt. Express 12, 1528-1539 (2004), <a href="http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-8-1528.">http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-12-8-1528</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• S. Campopiano, R. Bernini, L. Zeni, P. Sarro,�??Microfluidic sensor based on integrated optical hollow waveguides,�?? Opt. Lett. 29, 1894-1896 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Photon. News, September Issue,

• C. Kerbage and B.J. Eggleton, �??Microstructured optical fibers: Enabling integrated tunability for photonic devices,�?? Opt. Photon. News, September Issue, 38-43 (2002). [CrossRef]

Sens. Actuators A.

• . Lee, H. Moon, J. Fowler, T. Schoellhammer, C. Kim,�??Electrowetting and electrowetting-on-dielectric for microscale liquid handling,�?? Sens. Actuators A. 95, 259-268 (2002). [CrossRef]

Sens. Actuators B

• P.Luginbuhl, �??Femtoliter injector for DNA mass spectrometry,�?? Sens. Actuators B 63, 167-177 (2000) [CrossRef]

Other

• N. Nguyen and S. Wereley, Microfluidics (Artech House, Boston, MA, 2002).

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