Patent ID: 7389879

Claim:
A device for sorting particles, comprising: a substrate assembly including a substrate, a plurality of thin-film electrical devices formed on the substrate, and a fluid barrier connected to the substrate such that the substrate assembly defines a channel having an inlet and first and second outlets, the channel and the thin-film electrical devices being disposed generally between the substrate and the fluid barrier; a first transport mechanism configured to move first particles and one or more second particles in the channel from the inlet toward the first outlet, the first particles and one or more second particles being disposed in a fluid; and a second transport mechanism configured to apply a transient pressure pulse on the fluid so that at least one of the second particles is selectively moved toward the second outlet, wherein the second transport mechanism includes a thin-film heater element, a thin-film piezoelectric element, or both, and wherein the thin-film heater, the thin-film piezoelectric element, or both are included in the thin-film electrical devices.