Surface Plasmon Based Real-time Microfluid Temperature Sensor

We report on a real-time, non-invasive, and all optical microfluid temperature measurement technique using the surface plasmon resonance. The technique results in 0.03 degrees C temperature resolution of liquid volumes as small as 20 mu L and thus may have applications in a myriad of fields including micro-fluidics, micro-chemistry, and biophysics. We also propose a technique for achieving a 25-fold increase in sensitivity. These all-optical measurements may be integrated into a fiber-optic systems providing great potential for use in emerging lab-on-chip and remote sensing technologies.