Lin J T Y, Yeow J T W
Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
Biomed Microdevices. 2007 Dec;9(6):823-31. doi: 10.1007/s10544-007-9095-x.
This paper presents an original device to enhance dielectrophoresis (DEP) effects through novel geometry of the electrodes. Implemented with a simple single-layer metal process, our microchip device consists of individually triangular-shaped electrodes in a parallel array. When activated with DEP waveforms, the novel-shaped electrodes generate horizontal bands of increasing electric fields. With these bands of electric fields, dielectric microbeads in a suitable medium can be manipulated to form a straight horizontal line at a predictable location over the electrodes. Further experiments show that the location of the microbeads is sensitive to the frequency of the applied DEP waveforms. By changing the frequencies, the line of microbeads can be shifted vertically along the electrodes. In addition, horizontal movements of the microbeads can be achieved with traveling wave DEP. With an accurate control of both vertical and horizontal positions and a potential multi-lane separation strategy, our device delivers substantial improvements over the existing electrode array devices.
本文介绍了一种通过新颖的电极几何形状来增强介电泳（DEP）效应的原创装置。我们的微芯片装置采用简单的单层金属工艺实现，由平行排列的单个三角形电极组成。当用DEP波形激活时，这种新型形状的电极会产生电场不断增强的水平带。利用这些电场带，可在合适的介质中操控介电微珠，使其在电极上方的可预测位置形成一条水平直线。进一步的实验表明，微珠的位置对所施加DEP波形的频率敏感。通过改变频率，微珠线可沿电极垂直移动。此外，利用行波DEP可实现微珠的水平移动。通过精确控制垂直和水平位置以及潜在的多通道分离策略，我们的装置比现有的电极阵列装置有了显著改进。
