Optical tweezers device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10403412-B2
Application number	US-201615770781-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2016
Priority date	Oct 28, 2015
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

An optical tweezers device determines trapping force data indicating a trapping force for a particle on the basis of a distance between the particle trapped by focusing laser beam with a lens and a focal point of the lens. The optical tweezers device determines a difference between a trapping force theoretical value that is estimated according to a linear relationship between the distance between the trapped particle and the focal point of the lens and the trapping force for the particle and the trapping force indicated by the trapping force data. The optical tweezers device controls a laser power of the light source on the basis of the difference of the trapping force.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical tweezers device comprising:
a light source which emits a laser beam;
a lens which focuses the laser beam emitted from the light source;
a drive unit which moves, relative to each other, a particle trapped by focusing the laser beam with the lens and an object located in the vicinity of the particle;
a detector which outputs a detection signal for determination of a distance between the trapped particle and a focal point of the lens;
a distance calculation unit which calculates a distance between the trapped particle and the focal point of the lens on the basis of the detection signal received from the detector;
a trapping force calculation unit which determines trapping force data indicating a trapping force for the particle on the basis of the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit;
a difference calculation unit which determines a difference between (1) a trapping force theoretical value that is estimated according to a linear relationship between the distance between the trapped particle and the focal point of the lens calculated by the distance calculation unit and the trapping force for the particle and (2) the trapping force indicated by the trapping force data; and
an output control unit which controls a laser power of the light source on the basis of the difference of the trapping force.

2. The optical tweezers device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the difference calculation unit converts the difference into a current value input to the light source that is correlated with a power of the laser beam emitted from the light source, and
wherein the output control unit performs a feedback control for increasing or decreasing the current value.

3. The optical tweezers device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the drive unit comprises actuators and a piezoelectric element.

Assignees

• Jtekt Corp

Inventors

• Nanri Kota
• Saito Toshiyuki
• Suzuki Kensuke

Classifications

• G21K1/30 Primary

  for confining neutral particles or handling confined neutral particles, e.g. atom traps · CPC title

• G02B21/361

  Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor (G02B21/364 takes precedence; illumination details G02B21/06 and subgroups) · CPC title

• G02B21/32 Primary

  Micromanipulators structurally combined with microscopes · CPC title

• G02B21/086

  for transillumination only · CPC title

• B25J7/00

  Micromanipulators {(specimen supports for investigating or analysing materials G01N23/2204; associated with microscopes G02B21/32; means for supporting or positioning the objects or the material in discharge tubes H01J37/20)} · CPC title