Patent ID: 8771493

Claim:
A liquid dielectrophoretic device comprising: an upper assembly including an upper substrate and an upper electrode layer formed on said upper substrate: a lower assembly including a lower substrate and a lower electrode layer formed on said lower substrate; a first container unit defining a first micro containing space for containing a liquid therein and including an electrode pair for generating a dielectrophoretic force acting on the liquid in said first micro containing space by forming an electric field in said first micro containing space, said electrode pair being defined by said upper and lower electrode layers, and having a first region layer; a second container unit defining a second micro containing space for containing the liquid therein and including an electrode pair for generating a dielectrophoretic force acting on the liquid in said second micro containing space by forming an electric field in said second micro containing space, said electrode pair of said second containing unit being defined by said upper and lower electrode layers, and having a second region layer; a fluid channel unit defining a micro-channel and including an electrode pair for forming an electric field in said micro-channel, said electrode pair of said fluid channel unit being defined by said upper and lower electrode layers and having a middle region layer that has first and second enlarged sections and a middle section disposed between said first and second enlarged sections, said first enlarged section being disposed between said first region layer and one end of said middle section and having one end close to said first region layer and the other end close to said middle section, said first enlarged section increasing gradually in width from the middle section toward said first region layer and over the full length of said first enlarged section, said second enlarged section being disposed between said second region layer and the other end of said middle section and having one end close to said first region layer and the other end close to said middle section, said second enlarged section increasing gradually in width from the middle section toward said second region layer and over the full length of said second enlarged section; and a liquid in contact with and sandwiched between said upper and lower electrode layers of at least one of said first and second container units and said fluid channel unit; whereby said liquid in one of said first and second micro containing spaces can be controllably transported to the other of said first and second micro containing spaces through said micro-channel by varying the difference between the electric field in said first and second micro containing spaces, and said liquid is extendable continuously from said first region layer through said middle region layer to said second region layer.