Formation and status of the MEMS microfluidics industry

The integration of semiconductor electronics and diverse optics with miniature MEMS fluidic systems has produced remarkable capabilities, which have spawned a new industry, primarily in the past decade. Microfluidics devices made by several companies, most of them start-ups, enable point-of-care analyses for clinical samples and on-site field studies, as well as instruments for research and development. The companies, the materials and processes they use to make devices, the techniques employed for detection, and the markets are the subjects of this overview of the microfluidics industry.