Microfluidic sorting device
First Claim
1. A microfluidic sorting device comprising:
- a substrate having a main microfluidic channel that branches into a plurality of microfluidic branch channels, the main microfluidic channel and the plurality of microfluidic branch channels adapted to contain a moving fluid having particles disposed therein; and
a light source that produces at least one light beam directed at the main microfluidic channel, the light beam selectively switching the particles into the plurality of microfluidic branch channels without optically trapping the particles.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Small particles, for example 5 μm diameter microspheres or cells, within, and moving with, a fluid, normally water, that is flowing within microfluidic channels within a radiation-transparent substrate, typically molded PDMS clear plastic, are selectively manipulated, normally by being pushed with optical pressure forces, with laser light, preferably as arises from VCSELs operating in Laguerre-Gaussian mode, at branching junctions in the microfluidic channels so as to enter into selected downstream branches, thereby realizing particle switching and sorting, including in parallel. Transport of the small particles thus transpires by microfluidics while manipulation in the manner of optical tweezers arises either from pushing due to optical scattering force, or from pulling due to an attractive optical gradient force. Whether pushed or pulled, the particles within the flowing fluid may be optically sensed, and highly-parallel, low-cost, cell- and particle-analysis devices efficiently realized, including as integrated on bio-chips.
343 Citations
50 Claims
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1. A microfluidic sorting device comprising:
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a substrate having a main microfluidic channel that branches into a plurality of microfluidic branch channels, the main microfluidic channel and the plurality of microfluidic branch channels adapted to contain a moving fluid having particles disposed therein; and a light source that produces at least one light beam directed at the main microfluidic channel, the light beam selectively switching the particles into the plurality of microfluidic branch channels without optically trapping the particles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A microfluidic sorting device, comprising:
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a main microfluidic channel to conduct a moving fluid flow comprising particles; at least one branching junction in the main microfluidic channel; a plurality of microfluidic branch channels connected to the at least one branching junction to branch at least a portion of the moving fluid flow into a plurality of branch moving fluid flows respectively in the microfluidic branch channels; and at least one control module that directs at least one light beam at the main microfluidic channel to optically switch particles in the moving fluid flow into at least one of the microfluidic branch channels without optical trapping. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A method for optically sorting particles in a flowing fluid, comprising:
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supplying a flowing fluid comprising particles to a main microfluidic channel that branches at at least one junction into at least two branch microfluidic channels; and using at least one optical beam to optically switch particles in the main microfluidic channel into at least one of the at least two branch microfluidic channels without optical trapping. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification