Silicon-on-insulator multimode-interference waveguide-based arrayed optical tweezers (SMART) for two-dimensional microparticle trapping and manipulation

We demonstrate two-dimensional optical trapping and manipulation of 1 mu m and 2.2 mu m polystyrene particles in an 18 mu m-thick fluidic cell at a wavelength of 1565 nm using the recently proposed Siliconon- insulator Multimode-interference (MMI) waveguide-based ARrayed optical Tweezers (SMART) technique. The key component is a 100 mu m square-core silicon waveguide with mm length. By tuning the fiber-coupling position at the MMI waveguide input facet, we demonstrate various patterns of arrayed optical tweezers that enable optical trapping and manipulation of particles. We numerically simulate the physical mechanisms involved in the arrayed trap, including the optical force, the heat transfer and the thermal-induced microfluidic flow. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America