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 OET

  - overview

  - details

  - publications

  - press coverage

 

 

overview

Title:

Optoelectronic Tweezers

Researchers:

Aaron T. Ohta, Arash Jamshidi, Hsan-Yin Hsu, Justin K. Valley, Steven L. Neale

Funding Agencies:

NIH, DARPA, NASA through CMISE

Description: The goal of this project is to develop a non-invasive, low-power, parallel optical manipulation tool for
trapping, transporting, and sorting cells, microparticles, and nanoparticles. Optoelectronic tweezers (OET) enables
optically-controlled cellular manipulation with optical power densities 100,000 times less than optical tweezers.
The low power requirement enables the use of direct imaging and incoherent light (from a single LED or a halogen
lamp) to create optical manipulation patterns in real-time. We have successfully used a digital micromirror display
(DMD) spatial light modulator and an LED to create 15,000 individually addressable optical traps over an area of
1.3 mm x 1.0 mm. The OET can be combined with microvision tools to perform particle or cell sorting based on
luminescence, size, texture or other visual attributes of the particles.  

 

details

The working principle behind optoelectronic tweezers is light-induced dielectrophoresis. A photosensitive device
layer forms "virtual electrodes" upon exposure to light, creating non-uniformities in an applied electric field (Fig. 1).
The non-uniform electric field gives rise to a force known as dielectrophoresis: micro- and nanoparticles move as a
result of the non-uniformities in the electric field imparting unequal forces on the induced dipole of the particle.

Figure 1: Device structure used in optoelectronic tweezers (OET). Liquid that contains microscopic particles is
sandwiched between the top ITO glass and the bottom photosensitive surface consisting of ITO-coated glass
topped with multiple featureless layers: heavily doped a-Si:H, undoped a-Si:H, and silicon nitride. The top and
bottom surfaces are biased with an AC electric signal. The illumination source is an LED operating at a
wavelength of 625 nm (Lumileds, Luxeon Star/O). The optical images shown on the digital micromirror display
(DMD) are focused onto the photosensitive surface and create the non-uniform electric field for DEP
manipulation.

 

selected publications

1.     J. K. Valley, A. Jamshidi, A. T. Ohta, H. Hsan-Yin, and M. C. Wu, "Operational regimes and physics

present in optoelectronic tweezers," Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, vol. 17, pp. 342-50, 2008.

PDF

2.     A. Jamshidi, P. J. Pauzauskie, P. J. Schuck, A. T. Ohta, P. Y. Chiou, J. Chou, P. D. Yang, and M. C. Wu,

"Dynamic manipulation and separation of individual semiconducting and metallic nanowires," Nature

Photonics, vol. 2, pp. 85-89, Feb 2008. PDF

3.     A. T. Ohta, A. Jamshidi, P. J. Pauzauskie, H. Hsan-Yin, Y. Peidong, and M. C. Wu, "Trapping and transport

of silicon nanowires using lateral-field optoelectronic tweezers," in CLEO '07. 2007 Conference on Lasers

and Electro-Optics. Baltimore, MD, 2007. PDF

4.     A. T. Ohta, P.-Y. Chiou, H. L. Phan, S. W. Sherwood, J. M. Yang, A. N. K. Lau, H.-Y. Hsu, A. Jamshidi, and M. C.

Wu, "Optically Controlled Cell Discrimination and Trapping Using Optoelectronic Tweezers," IEEE Journal of

Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, , vol. 13, pp. 235-243, 2007. PDF

5.     A. T. Ohta, P. Y. Chiou, T. H. Han, J. C. Liao, U. Bhardwaj, E. R. B. McCabe, F. Yu, R. Sun, and M. C. Wu,

"Dynamic Cell and Microparticle Control via Optoelectronic Tweezers," Journal of Microelectromechanical

Systems, vol. 16, pp. 491-499, 2007. PDF

6.     A. Jamshidi, P. J. Pauzauskie, A. T. Ohta, P. Y. Chiou, H.-Y. Hsu, P. Yang, and M. C. Wu, "Semiconductor

Nanowire Manipulation Using Optoelectronic Tweezers," in 20th IEEE International Conference on Micro

Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), Kobe, Japan, 2007. PDF

7.     H. Y. Hsu, A. T. Ohta, P. Y. Chiou, A. Jamshidi, and M. C. Wu, "Phototransistor-based optoelectronic tweezers

for cell manipulation in highly conductive solution," in TRANSDUCERS '07 & Eurosensors XXI 14th

International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems. Lyon, France, 2007. PDF

8.     G. J. Shah, P. Y. Chiou, J. Gong, A. T. Ohta, J. B. Chou, M. C. Wu, and C.-J. Kim, "Integrating Optoelectronic

Tweezers for Individual Particle Manipulation with Digital Microfluidics Using Electrowetting-On-Dielectric

(EWOD)," in 19th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), Istanbul,

Turkey, 2006, pp. 130-133. PDF

9.     P. Y. Chiou, A. T. Ohta, and M. C. Wu, "Continuous Optical Sorting of HeLa Cells and Microparticles Using

Optoelectronic Tweezers," in IEEE/LEOS International Conference on Optical MEMS and Their Applications,

Oulu, Finland, 2005, pp. 83-84. PDF

10.   P. Y. Chiou, A. T. Ohta, and M. C. Wu, "Massively parallel manipulation of single cells and microparticles
using optical images," Nature, vol. 436, pp. 370-372, 2005. PDF

11.   P. Y. Chiou, A. T. Ohta, and M. C. Wu, "Microvison-activated automatic optical manipulator for microscopic
particles," presented at 18th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (IEEE
Cat. No.05CH37610). IEEE. 2005, pp.682-5. Piscataway, NJ, USA., 2005. PDF

12.   A. T. Ohta, P. Y. Chiou, and M. C. Wu, "Dynamic DMD-driven optoelectronic tweezers for microscopic

particle manipulation," in Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), San Francisco, CA, 2004, p. 3.

PDF

13.   P. Y. Chiou, W. Wilson, J. C. Liao, and M. C. Wu, "Cell addressing and trapping using novel optoelectronic
tweezers," presented at 17th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems.
Maastricht MEMS 2004 Technical Digest, Maastricht, Netherlands, 2004. PDF

14.   A. T. Ohta, P. Y. Chiou, and M. C. Wu, "Dynamic DMD-driven optoelectronics tweezers for microscopic
particle manipulation," presented at Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), San Francisco,
CA, USA, 2004. PDF

15.   P. Y. Chiou, Z. Chang, and M. C. Wu, "A Novel Optoelectronic Tweezer Using Light Induced Dielectrophoresis,"

in IEEE/LEOS International Conference on Optical MEMS, Kona, Hawaii, USA, 2003, pp. 8-9. PDF

 

 OET-related publications from other research groups

1.     S. Park, C. Pan, T.-H. Wu, C. Kloss, S. Kalim, C. E. Callahan, M. Teitell, and E. P. Y. Chiou, "Floating

electrode optoelectronic tweezers: light-driven dielectrophoretic droplet manipulation in electrically insulating

oil medium," Applied Physics Letters, vol. 92, pp. 151101-1-3, 2008.

University of Californa, Los Angeles (USA)

2.     H. Hwang, Y. Oh, J. J. Kim, W. Choi, J. K. Park, S. H. Kim, and J. Jang, "Reduction of nonspecific surface-

particle interactions in optoelectronic tweezers," Applied Physics Letters, vol. 92, p. 3, Jan 2008.

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Kyung Hee University (Korea)

3.     H. Hwang, Y. J. Choi, W. Choi, S. H. Kim, J. Jang, and J. K. Park, "Interactive manipulation of blood cells using

a lens-integrated liquid crystal display based optoelectronic tweezers system," Electrophoresis, vol. 29,

pp. 1203-1212, Mar 2008.

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Kyung Hee University (Korea)

4.     Y. Higuchi, T. Kusakabe, T. Tanemura, K. Sugano, T. Tsuchiya, and O. Tabata, "Manipulation system for

nano/micro components integration via transportation and self-assembly," in 2008 21st IEEE International

Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems - MEMS '08. Tucson, AZ, 2008.

Kyoto University (Japan)

5.     M. Hoeb, J. O. Radler, S. Klein, M. Stutzmann, and M. S. Brandt, "Light-induced dielectrophoretic manipulation

of DNA," Biophysical Journal, vol. 93, pp. 1032-1038, Aug 2007.

Technische Universität München, Ludwid-Maximilians-Universität München, Institut für Photovoltaik

(Germany)

6.     W. Choi, S. H. Kim, J. Jang, and J. K. Park, "Lab-on-a-display: a new microparticle manipulation platform

using a liquid crystal display (LCD)," Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, vol. 3, pp. 217-225, Apr 2007.

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Kyung Hee University (Korea)

7.     S. L. Neale, M. Mazilu, M. P. MacDonald, J. I. B. Wilson, K. Dholakia, and T. F. Krauss, "Size resolution with

light-induced dielectrophoresis (LIDEP)," in Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation III, San Diego, CA,

USA, 2006, pp. 632618-10.

University of St. Andrews, Heriot-Watt University (UK)

8.     Y.-S. Lu, Y.-P. Huang, J. A. Yeh, C. Lee, and Y.-H. Chang, "Controllability of non-contact cell manipulation by image

dielectrophoresis (iDEP)," Optical and Quantum Electronics, vol. 37, pp. 1385-95, 2005.

National Tsing Hua University, Asia Pacific Microsystems, Inc. (Taiwan)

9.     Y.-P. Huang, Y.-S. Lu, Y.-H. Chang, J. A. Yeh, and C. Lee, "Continuous cell sorting and interactive cell handling on

channel-less chips using image dielectrophoresis," in TRANSDUCERS '05. The 13th International Conference on

Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems. Digest of Technical Papers. Seoul, South Korea, 5-9 June 2005.

National Tsing Hua University, Asia Pacific Microsystems, Inc. (Taiwan)

 

press coverage

1.     CNN

2.     Reuters

3.     MSNBC

4.     EurekAlert

5.     UC Berkeley




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