Analytical solutions of ac electrokinetics in interdigitated electrode arrays: Electric field, dielectrophoretic and traveling-wave dielectrophoretic forces

Abstract

Analysis of the movement of particles in a nonuniform field requires accurate knowledge of the electric field distribution in the system. This paper describes a method for analytically solving the electric field distribution above interdigitated electrode arrays used for dielectrophoresis (DEP) and traveling wave dielectrophoresis (twDEP), using the Schwarz-Christoffel mapping method. The electric field solutions are used to calculate the dielectrophoretic force in both cases, and the traveling wave dielectrophoretic force and the electrorotational torque for the twDEP case. This method requires no approximations and can take into account the Neumann boundary condition used to represent an insulating lid and lower substrate. The analytical results of the electric field distributions are validated for different geometries by comparison with numerical simulations using the finite element method. © 2007 The American Physical Society.