Micrqmanipulation: Optoelectronic tweezers

A low-power light image projected on a photoconductive layer can initiate non-uniform electric fields over a large area, and allow the manipulation and sorting of particles without wires and electrodes and in the absence of flow. A potentially revolutionary method of moving objects that retains much of the flexibility of optical tweezers combines the reconfigurability of light patterns with the power of dielectrophoresis. The pertinent point is reconfigurability where the absence of wires means freedom to illuminate a large area and change landscape in which microscopic objects can be arranged at will. The new optoelectronic tweezers are likely to facilitate new and exciting investigations.