Non-destructive optical trap for biological particles and method of doing same

• US 4,893,886 A
• Filed: 09/17/1987
• Issued: 01/16/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: Ashkin, Arthur, Dziedzic, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce Y.
• Application Number:
  US07/098,120
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 350/1.1
• US Class Current: 359/350
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 43/00 Separating particles from liquids, or liquids from solids, otherwise than by sedimentation or filtration flotation processes B03D1/00; drying solid materials or objects F26B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/10 Investigating individual particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/14 Optical investigation techniques, e.g. flow cytometry
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/32 Micromanipulators structurally combined with microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 3/04 Acceleration by electromagnetic wave pressure

Abstract

Biological particles are successfully trapped in a single-beam gradient force trap using an infrared laser. The high numerical aperture lens objective in the trap is also used for simultaneous viewing.

Several modes of trapping operation are presented.

Claims

1. Apparatus for generating a single-beam gradient force optical trap of particles, said apparatus comprising a laser for generating a light beam at a predetermined wavelength and means for focusing said light beam with sufficient convergence to form said optical trap in a predetermined region, said apparatus

characterized in that

said predetermined wavelength is substantially included in the infrared range of wavelengths between 0.8 μ

m and 1.8 μ

m inclusively, so that said trap non-destructively confines at least one biological particle.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said focusing means includes a lens having a numerical aperture greater than 0.9.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including means for varying a position of said predetermined region.

4. Apparatus for generating a single-beam gradient force optical trap of particles, said apparatus being comprised of a laser for generating a light beam at a predetermined wavelength and means for focusing said light beam with sufficient convergence to form said optical trap in a predetermined region, said apparatus

characterized in that

said predetermined wavelength is substantially included in the infrared range of wavelengths, so that said trap non-destructively confines at least one biological particle,

said apparatus further including means for generating a second light beam substantially at the predetermined wavelength, said second light beam focused by said focusing means to form a second optical trap in a second predetermined region.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 further including means for independently varying relative positions of the predetermined regions.