Manipulation of microparticles using new modes of traveling-wave-dielectrophoretic forces: Numerical simulation and experiments

This paper presents a microchip device which uses traveling-wave-dielectrophoretic (twDEP) forces for the manipulation of microparticles and yeast cells. The dielectrophoretic forces generated under different operating conditions are simulated numerically, and the electric field distributions, force distributions and microparticle traces are investigated thoroughly. The paper presents two innovative modes of microparticle manipulation using positive (only one electrode is active at any instant in time, while the other three electrodes are all switched off) and negative (one electrode is "off", and the other electrodes are "on") dielectrophoretic forces. Micromachining techniques are used to fabricate micro-twDEP chips. The capability of electrode arrays in manipulating bioparticles is demonstrated by driving yeast cells in a suspension medium. The current experimental data confirm that dielectrophoretic forces can be used successfully for the collection, alignment, step-wise movement and general manipulation of cells.