Optically driven microtools fabricated by UV lithography and RIE

We demonstrate the use of multiple optical traps for driving various microfabricated silica structures in liquid host medium. Multiple counterpropagating-beam traps are formed using a generalized phase contrast (GPC) -based optical trapping system. A combination of UV-lithography and reactive-ion etching (RIE) is employed to fabricate the microtools whose design includes having multiple appendages with rounded endings by which optical traps hold and actuate them. Experiments show the collective and user-coordinated utility of multiple beams for driving microstructured objects whose future integration may lead to optically controlled micromachineries.

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