EWOD system designed for optical switching

This paper presents the design and experimental characterization of a microfluidic system comprising a novel bi-phasic liquid combination actuated by EWOD (electrowetting-on-dielectrics). The two immiscible liquids feature a high difference in refractive indices (0.16-0.23) and a low absorption (<;4.3 dB/cm) in the telecommunication wavelength range (1260-1650 nm), which open up new application fields for microfluidics. Utilizing the presented fluidic design, a bi-stable, non-volatile switch is implemented for optical waveguide couplers. The droplet movement is demonstrated with liquid combinations exhibiting specifically chosen refractive indices.