Patent ID: 6838056

Claim:
A micromechanical cell sorting chip, comprising: a plurality of hingedly mounted driven members defined on a fabrication substrate having proximal ends and distal ends; an optically transparent layer having a top surface, covering the hingedly mounted driven members, but allowing clearance for their movement, and containing a plurality of vertical channels located at the distal ends of the hingedly mounted driven members for delivering a fluid mixture of cells from the top surface to the distal ends of said hingedly mounted members; an inlet via for delivering the fluid mixture of cells to the top surface of the optically transparent layer; an optical cover glass covering the optically transparent layer, and thereby forming a fluid flow channel between the cover glass and the top surface of the optically transparent layer; a set of microfluidic channels formed in said fabrication substrate, providing a number of exit paths for the fluid mixture of cells; an actuation means for actuating said hingedly mounted members in order to direct the fluid mixture along one of the number of exit paths, according to a fluorescence signal detected from the fluid mixture of cells while in or above the vertical channel.