Laser‐Induced Forward Transfer for Biosensor Application

Additive manufacturing is the future of advanced manufacturing. One of the additive manufacturing techniques that can be successfully, efficiently, and widely utilized is the laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) process. In recent years, LIFT has been exploited extensively in printing thin films, and it has also been incorporated into manufacturing and printing sensor materials. Additionally, with the rise in miniaturization, the use of thin films in sensor applications has significantly increased. Recently, biosensors are a comprehensively studied area of research, for their easy, rapid, low-cost, highly sensitive, and highly selective properties. Biosensors have shown significant potential in areas of analytical biotechnology such as healthcare. Furtherance of biosensors for next-generation medicines and healthcare has been predominantly observed. Furthermore, biosensors have the ability to provide real-time information in healthcare applications. One of the major concerns over the use of biosensors is its expensive and time-consuming manufacturing processes. LIFT as a one-step process poses to be an efficient solution by collectively saving cost and time. This chapter imparts an elaborate description and overview on the LIFT process used for biosensor fabrication. First, biosensors are introduced in brief. Subsequently, a number of manufacturing processes used in biosensor fabrication along with their shortcomings are discussed. Following the biosensor discussion, LIFT is introduced. The process parameters and descriptions are reviewed in detail to provide a better insight into the LIFT process. Finally, considering the limitations offered by conventional biosensor manufacturing processes, the potential and advantages of the LIFT process are presented. It has been seen that the accuracy, cost, and time effectiveness of the LIFT process enable the efficient fabrication of biosensors, thereby proving itself as a potential manufacturing option for the future.