Design, Simulation and Fabrication of a Dielectrophoretic Separation Device Using Topographic Channel Structure

We present a novel device for continuous separation based on dielectrophoresis (DEP), where the non-uniform electric field is generated by applying a dc voltage over a circular channel structure instead of ac electrodes. The finite element simulation result shows it has the potential to separate particles of different sizes and dielectric properties in both spatial and time domain. Compared with the previously reported dieletrophoretic separation using electrode arrays, this structure is more mechanically robust and chemically inert. And compared with the previously reported electrodeless dielectrophoretic separation methods, this structure achieves high throughput and continuous separation.