Comparing Different Light Models for Virtual Electrodes in Optoelectronic Tweezers

ABSTRACT Optoelectronic tweezers (OET) allow for the physical manipulation of particles of interest via dielectrophoresis (DEP) in microfluidic devices. To produce the nonuniform electric field required to enable DEP, light is used to expose a photoconductive film and create a so‐called virtual elec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Electrophoresis Vol. 46; no. 17; pp. 1333 - 1340
Main Authors: Guzman‐Saleh, Ernesto, Perez‐Gonzalez, Victor H., Martinez‐Duarte, Rodrigo
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.09.2025
Subjects:
Comparative studies
Computer Simulation
Dielectrophoresis
Electric fields
Electrodes
Electrophoresis - instrumentation
Electrophoresis - methods
Equipment Design
Light
light‐induced dielectrophoresis
Microfluidic Analytical Techniques - instrumentation
Microfluidic Analytical Techniques - methods
Microfluidic devices
Models, Theoretical
Normal Distribution
Optical Tweezers
optically induced dielectrophoresis
optoelectronic tweezers
Optoelectronics
photoconductive
virtual electrodes
virtual electrodes
optoelectronic tweezers
photoconductive
light‐induced dielectrophoresis
optically induced dielectrophoresis
ISSN:0173-0835, 1522-2683, 1522-2683
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:ABSTRACT Optoelectronic tweezers (OET) allow for the physical manipulation of particles of interest via dielectrophoresis (DEP) in microfluidic devices. To produce the nonuniform electric field required to enable DEP, light is used to expose a photoconductive film and create a so‐called virtual electrode (VE). Several attempts have been made to model the light profile used to excite the photoconductive layer and produce the VE. However, no comparison of the models has been presented in the literature. Here, we present a comparative study among the rectangular, Gaussian, and saturated‐Gaussian models in mapping to light profiles obtained experimentally. These models were then used to predict the activation of a VE and the distribution of the electric field in an OET system. From this comparison, it is possible to conclude that the saturated‐Gaussian model should be the preferred choice to study these systems. Moreover, VEs were also compared numerically to conventional gold electrodes used regularly in DEP applications, concluding that very relevant differences exist between the electric fields produced by these two types of electrodes.
Bibliography:Funding
Financial support was provided by Tecnologico de Monterrey through the Nano‐Sensors & Devices Research Group (0020209I06); the Federico Baur Endowed Chair in Nanotechnology (0020240I03); the Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencia y Tecnología (SNI Grant 62382); and the TIGER grant program at Clemson University.
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ISSN:0173-0835
1522-2683
1522-2683
DOI:10.1002/elps.8131