Manufacturing micro-scale structures by an optical tweezers system controlled by five finger tips

Abstract

Because of the compelling need for manufacturing micro- to nano-scale structures, researchers are actively investigating new methods that are applicable for small scale manufacturing. Among them, optical tweezers that can manipulate microscopic objects using a laser are receiving key attention. Optical tweezers have been used actively in the field of science. For example, they were used for measuring mechanical characteristics on the scale of piconewtons or for manipulating and sorting large numbers of particles. However, little work has been reported on 'manufacturing' objects. In this paper, we present a new method for manufacturing micro-scale structures using micro- scale polystyrene particles. Particles will be controlled with a user interface that utilizes a human hand and glued together by the bonding force between biotin and streptavidin.