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US 7,351,953 B2Granted
Apparatus and method to generate and control optical traps to manipulate small particles
AssigneeArryx, Inc.
InventorsDavid Grier, Ward Lopes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method to generating and controlling optical traps for manipulation of small particles. An upstream modification of an input laser beam provides a beam with a square or other preselected, cross section of intensity which can be used to form optical traps with a corresponding cross section of intensity.
Claims81
An apparatus for trapping particles by forming optical traps, comprising:
- a first phase patterning optical element which receives a laser beam and one of patterns a phase profile of said laser beam, and imparts a selected wavefront to said laser beam;
- a second phase patterning optical element disposed downstream from said first phase patterning optical element, which receives said laser beam and one of patterns a phase profile of said laser beam, and imparts a selected wavefront to said laser beam;
- wherein at least two beamlets are formed from said laser beam;
- and
- a focusing lens having a front and a back aperture, said focusing lens being disposed downstream from said second phase patterning optical element;
- wherein the second phase patterning optical element in cooperation with said focusing lens, can separately converge said beamlets and establish gradient conditions to form optical traps capable of manipulating the particles.
3 more elements
A system for trapping particles by forming movable optical traps comprising:
- a first phase patterning optical element which receives a laser beam and imparts a selected cross section to said laser beam;
- a second phase patterning optical element which receives the laser beam from said first phase patterning optical element, and imparts a selected cross section to said laser beam;
- at least one computer;
- wherein at least one of said first and said second phase patterning optical elements is a dynamic phase patterning optical element, and said dynamic phase patterning optical element has a variable surface encoded, by the computer, with a hologram;
- wherein movable beamlets can be formed from the laser beam received at the second phase patterning optical element;
- and
- an objective lens with a front and a back aperture disposed downstream from the second phase patterning optical element;
- wherein the second phase patterning optical element in cooperation with said objective lens can separately converge beamlets and establish the gradient conditions to form optical traps capable of manipulating the particles.
5 more elements
An apparatus for trapping particles by forming optical traps, comprising:
- a first phase patterning optical element which receives a laser beam and imparts one of a predetermined intensity and patterns a predetermined phase profile to said laser beam to achieve a selected wavefront to said laser beam;
- a second phase patterning optical element disposed downstream from said first phase patterning optical element, which receives said laser beam and one of imparts a predetermined intensity and patterns a predetermined phase profile to said laser beam to achieve another selected wavefront to said laser beam;
- wherein at least two beamlets are formed from said resulting laser beam;
- and
- a focusing lens having a front and a back aperture, said focusing lens being disposed downstream from said second phase patterning optical element;
- wherein the second phase patterning optical element in cooperation with said focusing lens, can separately converge said beamlets and establish gradient conditions to form optical traps capable of manipulating the particles.
3 more elements
A system for trapping particles by forming movable optical traps comprising:
- a first phase patterning optical element which receives a laser beam and imparts one of a predetermined intensity and patterns a predetermined phase profile to said laser beam to achieve a selected cross section to said laser beam;
- a second phase patterning optical element disposed downstream from said first phase patterning optical element, which receives said laser beam and one of imparts a predetermined intensity and patterns a predetermined phase profile to said laser beam to achieve a selected cross section to said laser beam;
- at least one computer;
- wherein at least one of said first and said second phase patterning optical elements is a dynamic phase patterning optical element, and said dynamic phase patterning optical element has a variable surface encoded, by the computer, with a hologram;
- wherein movable beamlets can be formed from the laser beam received at the second phase patterning optical element;
- and
- an objective lens with a front and a back aperture disposed downstream from the second phase patterning optical element;
- wherein the second phase patterning optical element in cooperation with said objective lens can separately converge beamlets and establish the gradient conditions to form optical traps capable of manipulating the particles.
5 more elements
A method for trapping particles, comprising:
- directing a laser beam at a first phase patterning optical element;
- controlling one of a phase profile and an intensity of said laser beam using said first phase patterning optical element to achieve a selected cross section to a wavefront of said laser beam;
- directing said laser beam from said first phase patterning optical element to a second phase patterning optical element which controls one of a phase profile and an intensity of said modified laser beam to achieve a selected cross section to said wavefront of said laser beam;
- generating at least two beamlets from said second phase patterning optical element;
- generating optical traps within a vessel by directing said laser beam through a focusing lens;
- providing a plurality of the particles;
- and
- containing the particles within the optical traps.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.