The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 20, 2011
Filed:
Feb. 19, 2009
Thomas Hunt, Portland, OR (US);
Robert Westervelt, Lexington, MA (US);
Ania Bleszynski, Thousand Oaks, CA (US);
Jonathan Aguilar, Miami, FL (US);
Keith Brown, Cambridge, MA (US);
Thomas Hunt, Portland, OR (US);
Robert Westervelt, Lexington, MA (US);
Ania Bleszynski, Thousand Oaks, CA (US);
Jonathan Aguilar, Miami, FL (US);
Keith Brown, Cambridge, MA (US);
President and Fellows of Harvard College, Cambridge, MA (US);
Abstract
Dielectrophoretic (DEP) tweezers apparatus and methods for various applications, including particle trapping. Multiple electrodes (e.g., two or three) are disposed on or otherwise constitute an elongated object forming a tip. Exemplary electrode configurations include, but are not limited to, coaxial and triaxial arrangements. A voltage is applied across these electrodes to produce a non-uniform electromagnetic field proximate to the tip thereby creating a dielectrophoretic trap. Once trapped, a particle may be moved to desired locations via manipulation of the elongated object or the medium in which the particle is located. Multiple DEP tweezers apparatus may be arranged to form arrays of tips capable of respectively generating local electromagnetic fields confined to the tips. Such DEP arrays may be employed in nanofabrication processes involving nanolithography or nano-manipulation, as well as data storage and retrieval applications.