Microfluidic manipulation and sorting of particles using tunable standing surface acoustic wave

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9608547-B2
Application number	US-201313755865-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2013
Priority date	Jan 31, 2012
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus for manipulating particles uses tunable standing surface acoustic waves includes a channel defined on a substrate and a pair of variable frequency interdigital transducers. The channel is disposed asymmetrically between the transducers such that the zero order node location is outside of a working region in the channel.

First claim

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A method of manipulating a particle using surface acoustic waves, the method comprising:
introducing a fluid suspension including the particle to a channel;
generating tunable surface acoustic waves in the fluid suspension using a pair of variable frequency interdigital transducers (IDTs), the tunable surface acoustic waves generating a pressure field and exerting an acoustic radiation force on the particle, the acoustic radiation force pushing the particle to a node or antinode of the pressure field; and
manipulating the particle by tuning the frequency and/or phase of the tunable surface acoustic waves, the tuning of the frequency and/or phase shifting the node or the antinode, the shifting of the node or antinode shifting a position of the particle within the channel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the method is a method of particle sorting;
the channel is a flow channel; and
the frequency and/or phase of the tunable surface acoustic waves being tuned to direct a trajectory of the particle to a selected output channel of a plurality of output channels.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particle is an organic particle, an inorganic particle, a cell or a microorganism.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating additional tunable surface acoustic waves in the fluid suspension using an additional pair of variable frequency interdigital transducers (IDTs),
the particle being further manipulated by adjusting the frequency and/or phase of the additional tunable surface acoustic waves.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tunable surface acoustic waves are standing surface acoustic waves.

6. A method of manipulating a particle using surface acoustic waves, the method comprising:
introducing a fluid suspension including the particle to a channel;
generating surface acoustic waves in the fluid suspension using a pair of variable frequency transducers; and
manipulating the particle by adjusting the frequency and/or phase of the surface acoustic waves;
wherein the surface acoustic waves include a zero order node located outside a working region of the channel, the zero order node being a stationary pressure node centered between the pair of variable frequency transducers.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the method is a method of particle sorting; and
the frequency and/or phase of the surface acoustic waves being adjusted to direct a trajectory of the particle to a selected output channel of a plurality of output channels.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the particle is an organic particle, an inorganic particle, a cell or a microorganism.

Assignees

• Penn State Res Found

Inventors

• Ding Xiaoyun
• Huang Tony Jun

Classifications

• B01L2200/0636

  Focussing flows, e.g. to laminate flows · CPC title

• B01L2400/0436

  acoustic forces, e.g. surface acoustic waves [SAW] · CPC title

• B01L3/502707

  characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components · CPC title

• B07C5/3427

  by changing or intensifying the optical properties prior to scanning, e.g. by inducing fluorescence under UV or x-radiation, subjecting the material to a chemical reaction · CPC title

• H02N2/08 Primary

  using travelling waves {, i.e. Rayleigh surface waves} · CPC title