Microwave Heating for Microfluidics

Promovendus/a: Tomislav Markovic

Promotor(en): Prof. dr. ir. Bart Nauwelaers, De heer Ilja Ocket

This PhD project aims at developing integrated microwave or millimeter wave based heating systems for total analysis systems (μTAS), whichare miniaturised microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices that perform several laboratory functions on a single device.

The currently most prevalent temperature control method in μTAS systems uses Peltier or resistive elements, which have a number of disadvantages such as their size, the heating speed and temperature uniformity. Microwave or millimeter wave based heating methods could improve on each of these points: theycan be smaller, faster and allow better control over the realised temperature distribution.

To develop these heating systems, essentially two challenges need to be tackled:

1) Finding the best way to deliver microwave power to a small fluid sample.
2) Finding a way to sense the temperature of the sample at a given moment, also using microwaves or millimeter waves. This second challenge is very important, because when one wants to supplant a Peltier and resistor based heating system, temperature sensing is also preferably done without them.