Apparatus and microchip for sorting micro particles

A micro-particle sorting apparatus comprising:

• a microchip in which a flow path through which liquid containing a micro particle flows and an orifice through which the liquid flowing through the flow path is discharged into a space outside the microchip;
• an oscillating element for transforming the liquid into a liquid drop and discharging the liquid drop at the orifice;
• a charge means for adding an electric charge to the discharged liquid drop;
• an optical detection means that detects an optical property of the micro particle flowing through the flow path, upstream of a liquid-delivering direction with respect to the orifice;
• and
• paired electrodes provided so as to be opposed to each other while sandwiching the moving liquid drop therebetween along a movement direction of the liquid drop discharged into the space outside the microchip;
• and two or more containers that collect the liquid drop passing between the paired electrodes,
• wherein a cross-section area of the flow path at a location of the orifice is set to be smaller than a cross-section area of the flow path at a location at which the optical property of the micro particle is detected by the optical detection means;
• and
• wherein at least the orifice portion of the microchip and the space outside the microchip in which the liquid discharged through the orifice moves are arranged in a cavity of a cartridge having light transmittance for light from the optical detection mean.

A microchip comprising:

• a flow path through which liquid containing a micro particle flows and an orifice through which the liquid flowing through the flow path is discharged into a space outside the microchip;
• a predetermined location of the flow path configured as a light-irradiated portion to be irradiated with light from an optical detection means for detecting an optical property of the micro particle flowing therethrough;
• and
• a micro tube that introduces, into a laminar flow of liquid T flowing through the flow path, a laminar flow of another liquid S containing micro particle, upstream of the liquid-delivering direction with respect to the light-irradiated portion, wherein a width of the flow path and a depth of the flow path at a location of the orifice are set to be smaller than a width of the flow path and a depth of the flow path at the light-irradiated portio;
• and wherein the micro tube is formed of a metal on which voltage can be applied.

A microchip comprising:

• a flow path through which liquid containing a micro particle flows and an orifice through which the liquid flowing through the flow path is discharged into a space outside the microchip;
• a predetermined location of the flow path configured as a light-irradiated portion to be irradiated with light from an optical detection means for detecting an optical property of the micro particle flowing therethrough;
• and
• a micro tube that introduces, into a laminar flow of liquid T flowing through the flow path, a laminar flow of another liquid S containing micro particle, upstream of the liquid-delivering direction with respect to the light-irradiated portion, wherein a cross-section area of the flow path at a location of the orifice is set to be smaller than a cross-section area of the flow path at the light-irradiated portion;
• and wherein the micro tube is formed of a metal on which voltage can be applied.