Automated manipulation of microparticles with composite array electrode structure via dielectrophoresis

Micro-manipulation technology is the basis for investing the characteristics of micro-particles, which could also promote their applications in biomedical engineering, environmental monitoring, or some other fields. As a non-contact mechanism, dielectrophoresis could be used to manipulate batches of micro-particles at a high rate of speed accurately. In this paper, a multilayer composite array electrode structure was designed for driving microparticles to a target position via dielectrophoresis. In order to analysis the driving performance of the setup, characteristics of the induced electric field was simulated via COMSOL. After the numerical simulation for several local driven electrode pairs, the effective manipulation strategy was performed. The workspace was divided into the controllable area and the target area, which could further be used to plan the moving path of micro-particles. Moreover, with the excitation electric field of some specific electrode combination, the proposed structure could be utilized to realize and reinforce the directional transmission of particles.