Silicon insulator-based dielectrophoresis devices for minimized heating effects

Concentration of biological specimens that are extremely dilute in a solution is of paramount importance for their detection. Microfluidic chips based on insulator-based DEP (iDEP) have been used to selectively concentrate bacteria and viruses. iDEP biochips are currently fabricated with glass or polymer substrates to allow for high electric fields within the channels. Joule heating is a well-known problem in these substrates and can lead to decreased throughput and even device failure. In this work, we present, for the first time, highly efficient trapping and separation of particles in DC iDEP devices that are fabricated on silicon using a single-etch-step three-dimensional microfabrication process with greatly improved heat dissipation properties. Fabrication in silicon allows for greater heat dissipation for identical geometries and operating conditions. The 3D fabrication allows for higher performance at lower applied potentials. Thermal measurements were performed on both the presented silicon chips and previously published PDMS devices comprised of microposts. Trapping and separation of 1 and 2 μm polystyrene particles was demonstrated. These results demonstrate the feasibility of high-performance silicon iDEP devices for the next generation of sorting and concentration microsystems.