Particle manipulation device and particle manipulation method

Abstract

To provide a particle operation device capable of operating even large particles in any direction of three-dimensional directions, and individually operating a plurality of particles, and a particle operation method using the same.SOLUTION: A particle operation device comprises: sound field generation means; a stage which is adjacent to the sound field generation means; and control means for controlling the sound field generation means. The sound field generation means is formed of a material on which a vibration element is arranged, and the stage is formed of a sheet material which transmits sound waves. The control means controls the sound field generation means so as to radiate a sound wave beam which is generated on the vibration element toward the particles arranged on the stage, toward the particles, and move the sound wave beam to any position on the stage, for moving the particles to any three-dimensional position on the stage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a particle manipulation device and a particle manipulation method using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, automated techniques for manipulating microliter-scale droplets have become increasingly popular in research into various chemicals and analytes to improve experimental throughput and reproducibility. Microfluidic control methods such as electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD), electrostatic, and acoustic levitation platforms are expected to provide superior liquid (droplet) manipulation and high-speed control.

[0003] For example, Non-Patent Documents 1 to 9 disclose digital microfluidics (DMF) platforms. However, in the field of DMF, EWOD on dielectric surfaces remains the most popular method. Non-Patent Document 10 discloses a technique related to EWOD for manipulating droplets on a surface in three dimensions. In addition to manipulating droplets along the surface, a technique for jumping droplets in the vertical direction with sufficient height is desired. For example, Non-Patent Documents 10 to 17 disclose techniques for jumping droplets in the vertical direction.

[0004] Meanwhile, in parallel with the DMF technology mentioned above, 3D microfluidics based on droplet levitation techniques are also being researched. Acoustic levitation is a promising droplet levitation technique because it does not require the levitated object to have specific material properties (e.g., magnetic properties). For example, Foresti et al. have used acoustic levitation to demonstrate a horizontal aerial integrator and aerial chemical / biological experiments (e.g., Non-Patent Document 18).

[0005] Current systems in 3D microfluidics based on droplet acoustic levitation require the use of standing waves to manipulate droplets (e.g., Non-Patent Documents 20-23). ​​This limits the theoretically possible levitated droplet size (sphere radius) to one-quarter of the wavelength of the standing waves (Non-Patent Document 24). [Advanced Technology Documents]

Non-licensed literature

[0006]

Non-licensed literature 1

Non-licensed Document 2

Non-licensed Document 4

Non-licensed Document 5

Non-licensed Document 6

Wood 17

Wood 18

Wood 19

Wood 20

Facebook 21

[0007] However, typical experiments in chemistry and physics require the mixing and handling of droplets exceeding 40 μL, and the most commonly used acoustic frequency is 40 kHz (λ = 8.6 mm). The technique disclosed in Non-Patent Document 24, however, has the drawback of being unable to manipulate droplets of such large volume. Furthermore, conventional acoustic droplet levitation requires that all droplets be levitated at once, limiting the number of droplets that can be simultaneously handled to a small number. Furthermore, it is difficult to split droplets using acoustic levitation.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a particle manipulation device that can manipulate even large particles to any position in three dimensions and can manipulate multiple particles individually, as well as a particle manipulation method using the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The inventors have discovered that by irradiating particles such as droplets placed on the upper surface of a liquid-repellent sheet material that transmits sound waves with a focused sound beam and moving the focal position of this sound beam to any three-dimensional position above the sheet material, even large droplets can be moved to any position on the upper surface of the sheet material and can be made to jump to a higher position than before. Furthermore, they have discovered that similar droplet manipulation is possible even on a sheet surface that is not water-repellent, as long as the droplets or other particles float slightly above the surface through which the sound waves pass, such as due to the Leidenfrost effect.

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, a particle manipulation device according to one embodiment of the present invention proposes the following means. (1) A particle manipulation device according to aspect 1 of the present invention comprises a sound field generating means, a stage disposed adjacent to the sound field generating means, and a control means for controlling the sound field generating means, wherein the sound field generating means comprises an arrangement of vibration elements, the stage is made of a sheet material that allows sound waves to pass through, and the control means controls the sound field generating means to irradiate a sound beam generated by the vibration elements toward a particle disposed on the stage, and move the sound beam to any position on the stage, thereby moving the particle to any three-dimensional position on the stage.

[0011] (2) Aspect 2 of the present invention is characterized in that in the particle manipulation device of aspect 1, the particles are liquid droplets.

[0012] (3) Aspect 3 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the particle manipulation device of aspect 2, the droplets contain water, and the sheet material is made of a mesh sheet having water repellency.

[0013] (4) Aspect 4 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the particle manipulation device of any one of aspects 1 to 3, the sound field generating means is formed below the stage at a predetermined distance from the stage.

[0014] (5) A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the particle manipulation device of any one of the first to fourth aspects, the sound field generating means is formed in the horizontal direction along the upper surface of the stage.

[0015] (6) A sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the particle manipulation device of any one of the first to fifth aspects, the sound wave is an ultrasonic wave.

[0016] (7) Aspect 7 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the particle manipulation device of any one of aspects 1 to 6, the control means forms multiple irradiation positions of the sound beam on the upper surface side of the stage and controls the sound field generating means to move multiple particles to any three-dimensional position on the upper surface of the stage.

[0017] (8) Aspect 8 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the particle manipulation device of aspect 2, the control means controls the sound field generating means so that multiple droplets are integrated at any position on the top surface of the stage to become one droplet.

[0018] (9) Aspect 9 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the particle manipulation device of aspect 2, the control means controls the sound field generating means to divide one droplet at any position on the top surface of the stage into multiple droplets.

[0019] (10) Aspect 10 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the particle manipulation device of any one of aspects 1 to 9, the control means controls the sound field generating means so that the particles jump upward from the top surface of the stage.

[0020] (11) A particle manipulation method according to aspect 11 of the present invention is a particle manipulation method using a particle manipulation device according to any one of aspects 1 to 10, characterized in that the particle is moved to an irradiation position of the sound beam by aligning the irradiation position of the sound beam with any position on the stage. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a particle manipulation device that can manipulate even large particles to any position in three dimensions and that can manipulate multiple particles individually, and a particle manipulation method using the same. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a particle manipulation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing how a sound beam is generated by controlling the phase difference of a vibration element. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the phase difference between each vibration element when the target position of the droplet is set at the center of the stage. [Figure 4] 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams showing examples of the behavior of droplets manipulated by the particle manipulation device of the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a particle manipulation device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the results of Example 1. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the results of Example 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the results of Example 3. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the results of Example 4. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the results of Example 5. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the results of Example 6. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the results of Example 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, a particle manipulation device and a particle manipulation method using the same according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment shown below is specifically described to provide a better understanding of the gist of the invention, and does not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, the drawings used in the following description may show essential parts enlarged for convenience in order to make the features of the present invention easier to understand, and the dimensional proportions of each component may not necessarily be the same as those in reality.

[0024] Particles to be manipulated in the present invention include both solid particles and liquid particles, i.e., droplets. In the following embodiments, droplets will be used as an example of these particles, but the particles in the present invention are not limited to droplets.

[0025] A particle manipulation device according to one embodiment of the present invention and a particle manipulation method using the same will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the particle manipulation device of this embodiment. The particle manipulation device 10 of this embodiment comprises a sound field generating means 11, a stage 12, a control means 13 for controlling the sound field generating means 11, a power supply 14 for operating the sound field generating means 11, and a stand 15.

[0026] The sound field generating means 11 is composed of, for example, a plurality of vibration elements 21, 21... arranged on a plane. The sound field generating means 11 controls the phase of each of the plurality of vibration elements 21, 21..., thereby being able to irradiate sound waves, in this embodiment, ultrasonic waves, at any intensity toward the stage 12. This allows ultrasonic waves to be focused from the plurality of vibration elements 21, 21... toward one coordinate on one surface 12a of the stage 12, thereby forming an ultrasonic beam (sound beam) B of focused ultrasonic waves with this one coordinate as a focal point.

[0027] In this embodiment, the sound field generating means 11 is made up of a plurality of vibration elements 21, but the sound field generating means 11 can also be made up of one vibration element.

[0028] In this embodiment, an element that irradiates ultrasonic waves with a wavelength of about 20 kHz to 20 MHz among sound waves is used as the vibration element 21, but an element that irradiates sound waves with a wavelength longer than such ultrasonic waves can also be used as the vibration element 21. The phase of each vibration element 21 is controlled by the control means 13, and a phase difference can be formed between the vibration elements 21.

[0029] Furthermore, the sound field generating means 11 of this embodiment is composed of an arrangement of 16 vibration elements 21 in each of the X and Y directions, for a total of 256 vibration elements 21, but the number of vibration elements 21 arranged is not limited and may be selected appropriately depending on the performance (output value) of each vibration element 21 and the size of the stage 12.

[0030] A droplet (particle) Q to be manipulated is placed on one surface 12a of the stage 12. The stage 12 is supported on all four sides by an opening in a frame 16 that is supported by, for example, a stand 15. The stage 12 is made of a sheet-like material, a mesh member in this embodiment, that is capable of transmitting sound waves irradiated from the vibration element 21, such as an ultrasonic beam B. In this embodiment, the stage 12 is water-repellent. For example, the stage 12 may be made of a cloth that has been given a water-repellent treatment by forming a resin layer thereon.

[0031] In this embodiment, the droplet Q to be manipulated on one surface 12a of the stage 12 is assumed to be a droplet containing water, and is therefore water-repellent. However, if the droplet to be manipulated is, for example, an oil droplet that is insoluble in water, then an oil-repellent sheet material can be used as the stage 12.

[0032] The control means 13 is composed of, for example, a personal computer, an amplifier circuit, an interface, and the like, and controls the output intensity and phase of each of the vibration elements 21 that make up the sound field generating means 11 using power supplied from a power source 14 .

[0033] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a phase difference is used to control the irradiation position of an ultrasonic beam to manipulate droplets (particles) Q, but in addition to this, droplets (particles) Q can also be manipulated by, for example, controlling the amplitude difference or amplitude of the vibration element 21.

[0034] 2, an ultrasonic beam (sound beam) B focused on any coordinate can be formed by controlling the phase difference between the individual transducer elements 21 that make up the sound field generating means 11. That is, when a plurality of transducer elements 21 arranged on a plane are operated, a phase difference is formed between the transducer elements 21 by setting a delay time between the transducer elements 21. As a result, an ultrasonic beam (sound beam) B, which is formed by converging ultrasonic waves, is emitted from the plurality of transducer elements 21 arranged on a plane, with any coordinate on one surface 12a of the stage 12 as a focal point F.

[0035] In this embodiment, the manipulation position of the droplet (particle) Q is the focal position where the ultrasonic waves are focused on one surface 12a of the stage 12, but is not limited to this. The focal position is an example, and any focal position may be used as long as it irradiates a stable acoustic radiation force onto the droplet (particle) Q to be controlled. Furthermore, even with an unstable acoustic radiation force, the droplet (particle) Q can be manipulated by incorporating a closed control loop. It is also possible to move particles using a phase gradient or orbital angular momentum of an acoustic field. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the droplets (particles) Q are manipulated on one surface 12a, which is the upper surface of the stage 12, but the position of the droplets (particles) Q is not limited to this, and they can also be manipulated on the lower surface of the stage 12, and the position is not limited.

[0036] When operation information for the droplet Q is input from, for example, a personal computer, the control means 13 calculates a change in the phase difference between the vibration elements 21 based on this operation information, and controls each of the vibration elements 21 that constitute the sound field generating means 11.

[0037] For example, when the coordinates of the movement path and jump height of a droplet Q manipulated on one surface 12a of the stage 12 are input, the change in phase difference of each of the vibration elements 21 constituting the sound field generating means 11 is calculated based on the path along which the focal coordinates of the ultrasonic beam change. Then, each of the vibration elements 21 is controlled based on this change in phase difference, and the three-dimensional coordinates of the focal point of the ultrasonic beam B can be changed to any position on one surface 12a of the stage 12. FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the phase difference between the vibration elements 21 when the target position of the droplet is set at the center of the stage 12.

[0038] The droplet Q is trapped at the focal point of the ultrasonic beam B, and the droplet Q is controlled to any three-dimensional position on the surface 12 a of the stage 12 . In this embodiment, the focal coordinates of the ultrasonic beam B are set slightly above (for example, 10 mm) the actual target position of the droplet Q.

[0039] The distance between the sound field generating means 11 and the stage 12 may be any distance, but in this embodiment, the distance between the sound field generating means 11 and the stage 12 is set to 10 cm.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the behavior of a droplet manipulated by the particle manipulation device of this embodiment. In Figure 4(a), droplet Q is moved away from one surface 12a of stage 12 at a predetermined coordinate and made to jump in the height direction (z). This jumping of droplet Q can be achieved by increasing the output value of ultrasonic beam B irradiated toward droplet Q. According to the particle manipulation device 10 of this embodiment, droplet Q with a volume of more than 40 µL can be made to jump up to about 10 cm, which is higher than conventional methods.

[0041] In Figure 4(b), the droplet Q is moved in a circular motion on one surface 12a of the stage 12. The movement of the droplet Q on one surface 12a of the stage 12 is controlled by inputting the change (path) in the focal position of the ultrasonic beam B to the control means 13, which changes the focal position of the ultrasonic beam B, and the droplet Q trapped at this focal position moves along an arbitrary path. Note that this embodiment is somewhat difficult to operate due to its high density.

[0042] In Figure 4(c), two droplets Q are moved so as to merge into one droplet. In this example, the focal point of the ultrasonic beam B is set for each of droplets Q1 and Q2 located at two positions on one surface 12a of the stage 12, and then the focal points of the two ultrasonic beams B are moved so that they coincide near the center of one surface 12a of the stage 12. This allows the two droplets Q1 and Q2 to merge into one large droplet Q.

[0043] In this way, because the stage 12 is water-repellent, the droplets are not adsorbed to the surface of the stage 12 and can remain as ellipsoidal droplets on one surface 12a of the stage 12, making it possible to efficiently manipulate the droplets Q with a minimum output of the ultrasonic beam B. The operation of combining multiple droplets into one, as in this example, can be used, for example, for mixing or reacting very small amounts of highly reactive chemical liquids that are difficult to aspirate or mix using tools.

[0044] In FIG. 4(d), one droplet Q is split into two droplets. In this example, a knife K with a water-repellent surface is placed above a droplet Q on one surface 12a of the stage 12, and by causing the droplet Q to jump towards the knife K, the single droplet Q is split into two droplets Q1 and Q2, which land at positions distant from each other on one surface 12a of the stage 12. As in this example, the operation of dividing one droplet into two can be used for purposes such as accurately dividing a very small amount of drug solution that is difficult to separate using an instrument.

[0045] As described above, the particle manipulation device 10 of this embodiment includes a sound field generating means 11 in which a plurality of vibration elements 21 are arranged, and a stage 12 made of a liquid-repellent sheet material that is spaced apart from the sound field generating means 11. This prevents droplets Q from adsorbing to the surface of the sheet material, thereby increasing the manipulation force of droplets Q even with the same output of ultrasonic beam B as in the past. This allows droplets Q to be precisely and freely controlled on one surface 12a of the water-repellent stage 12. For example, droplets Q can be made to jump to heights of 10 cm or more, higher than in the past.

[0046] In the above-described embodiment, the sound field generating means 11 is disposed below the stage 12, but the position where the sound field generating means 11 is formed is not limited to this. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a particle manipulation device according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the particle manipulation device 30 of this embodiment, a sound field generating means 31A is formed below the stage 12, and a sound field generating means 31B is also formed in the lateral direction along one surface 12a of the stage 12.

[0047] With this configuration, the droplets Q placed on one surface 12a of the stage 12 can be moved laterally more efficiently at higher speeds, and the droplets Q can be made to jump diagonally upward. The sound field generating means may also be formed on two opposing sides of one surface 12a of the stage 12, or along the four sides surrounding the stage 12, and the formation position is not limited.

[0048] In addition to the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which multiple stages that can pass sound waves are stacked on top of each other can also be used, which makes it possible to manipulate droplets (particles) placed on each stage.

[0049] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Example]

[0050] Below, several examples will be shown in which droplets were actually manipulated using the particle manipulation device of the present invention. Example 1 An experiment was conducted in which a droplet was moved on a stage. Figure 6(A) shows a time-lapse image of a droplet (volume 45 μL) moving on a stage, and Figures 6(B) and (C) show the horizontal trajectories of the horizontal positions of droplets of four volumes (15, 30, 45, and 60 μL) for two frequencies (f = 1.0 Hz (Figure 6(B)), λ = 0.2 Hz (Figure 6(C))) when the applied voltage to the vibration element was 10 V.

[0051] As shown in Figures 6(B) and 6(C), the particle manipulation device of the present invention allows droplets to follow the specified trajectories almost perfectly, except for the 60 μL droplet, which is difficult to move at high speeds due to its large volume. For all droplet volumes, some overshoot and underdamped oscillations were observed at t = 1 / 2f and 1 / f in Figure 6(B).

[0052] Underdamped oscillations were more prevalent in Figure 6(C) than in Figure 6(B) during droplet movement, and the magnitude of steady-state deviations was similar in both cases. Although these trajectory deviations were not negligible, closed-loop control may be implemented by detecting the droplet position to achieve more accurate droplet control.

[0053] Example 2 An experiment was conducted in which droplets were made to jump on a stage. Figures 7(A) to (H) show the process of jumping a droplet upward from a mesh stage. We verified the jumping of droplets with droplet volumes of 15, 30, 45, and 60 μL. The voltages applied to the vibrating element were 12 V and 16 V. Because of the variability of parabolic motion, the experiment was repeated five times.

[0054] Here, the jump height of each droplet is defined as the difference between the center of gravity of the peak and initial droplets. When the applied voltage to the vibrating element was 12 V, the mean jump heights of the droplets were 30.7 mm (SD = 0.778), 33.2 mm (SD = 1.87), 15.8 mm (SD = 4.23), and 3.25 mm (SD = 0.752) for droplets of 15, 30, 45, and 60 μL, respectively (Figure 7(A)–(D)).

[0055] When the applied voltage to the vibrating element was increased to 16 V, the average jump height of the droplets increased to 109 (SD = 15.1), 78.0 (SD = 15.7), 59.7, and 27.4 mm for 15, 30, 45, and 60 μL, respectively (Figure 7(E) and (F)). The maximum recorded jump height was 128 mm at 16 V and 15 μL. This was 32, 8, and 4 times higher than the jump height achieved by the conventional EWOD, pyroelectric method, and electromotive force, respectively.

[0056] Each experiment in Example 2 was repeated five times, and the images in Figures 7(A) to (H) are from the highest jump height among the five experiments. The scales in Figures 7(A) to (H) indicate the height from the stage.

[0057] Example 3 An experiment was conducted on the stage to combine two droplets into one. Figure 8(A) shows a time-lapse image of two droplets moving on the stage, and Figure 8(B) shows the change in x-coordinate position of the two droplets over time. The voltage applied to the vibration element was set to 25 V, and the two droplets at both ends were moved toward the center. 0.84 seconds after the start of movement, the two droplets merged and finally became one droplet in the center.

[0058] Example 4 An experiment was conducted on the stage in which two droplets were split into two droplets using a knife. Figure 9 shows time-lapse images of a droplet jumping across the stage and splitting into two pieces. A water-repellent knife was placed at a height of 5 mm above the stage, and a 45 μL droplet was jumped upward with a voltage of 12 V applied to the vibration element. The knife cut the droplet in half in approximately 70 ms, and the droplet continued to move vertically, free-falling, and then landed on the stage again. The droplet split into two droplets in the same way when the droplet volume was increased to 15 μL or 30 μL.

[0059] Example 5 An experiment was conducted on a stage in which two droplets that react chemically with each other were combined to form a droplet that reacted chemically. Figure 10 shows time-lapse images of two droplets moving across the stage and merging to form a single droplet after the chemical reaction. One droplet was rice vinegar (volume 30 μL) and the other droplet was a basic (yellow colored) bromothymol blue (BTB) solution (volume 30 μL), and each droplet was moved toward the center of the stage.

[0060] As a result, the droplets began to coalesce 0.71 seconds after they started moving, and after 0.88 seconds, a chemical reaction occurred between the rice vinegar and bromothymol blue, resulting in droplets that turned blue. These experiments confirmed that the method can also be used to react small amounts of chemicals to obtain synthetic products.

[0061] Example 6 An experiment was conducted in which a droplet was moved on a stage to form a droplet containing a tiny solid object. Figure 11 shows time-lapse images of a droplet moving in a circular motion, enveloping tiny solid particles along the way. With a voltage of 11V applied to the vibrating element, a water droplet (30 μL in volume) was moved in a circular orbit on the stage. Plastic beads were also placed in the orbit as solid objects. The water droplet absorbed the solid objects after 0.57 seconds in the orbit, and returned to its starting position after 10.7 seconds as a water droplet containing beads. These experiments have shown that this method is particularly useful for automating experiments, such as incorporating specific chemical substances (solid objects) into the droplets.

[0062] Example 7 An experiment was conducted in which a droplet was made to jump high on a stage and then placed in a container. Figure 12 shows time-lapse images of a droplet being hopped into a container. With an applied voltage of 18 V to the vibration element, a water droplet (5 μL in volume) was able to jump in a parabolic arc from the stage and be contained in an 80 mm high cup. The large three-dimensional flight force of this droplet makes it suitable for applications such as automating seasoning during cooking, additive manufacturing, and automating experiments. [Industrial Applicability]

[0063] The particle manipulation device and particle manipulation method of the present invention enable automated manipulation of microliter-sized droplets in research on various chemical substances and specimens. This contributes to easy and precise control of microfluidics, such as electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD), electrostatic, and acoustophoretic platforms. Therefore, the present invention has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 10…Particle manipulation device 11...Sound field generation means 12...Stage 13...Control means 21...Vibration element B...Ultrasonic beam (sound beam) Q…droplet

Claims

1. a sound field generating means, a stage disposed adjacent to the sound field generating means, and a control means for controlling the sound field generating means; the sound field generating means is configured by arranging vibration elements, the stage is made of a sheet material that allows sound waves to pass through; The particle manipulation device is characterized in that the control means controls the sound field generating means to irradiate an acoustic beam generated by the vibration element toward a particle placed on the stage, and move the acoustic beam to any position on the stage, thereby moving the particle to any three-dimensional position on the stage.

2. 2. The particle manipulation device according to claim 1, wherein the particles are droplets.

3. 3. The particle manipulation device according to claim 2, wherein the droplets contain water, and the sheet material is a water-repellent mesh sheet.

4. 3. The particle manipulation device according to claim 1, wherein the sound field generating means is formed below the stage at a predetermined distance from the stage.

5. 3. The particle manipulation device according to claim 1, wherein the sound field generating means is formed in a lateral direction along the upper surface of the stage.

6. 3. The particle manipulation device according to claim 1, wherein the sound wave is an ultrasonic wave.

7. The particle manipulation device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means forms multiple irradiation positions of the sound beam on the upper surface side of the stage and controls the sound field generating means to move multiple particles to any three-dimensional position on the upper surface of the stage.

8. 3. The particle manipulation device according to claim 2, wherein the control means controls the sound field generating means so that the plurality of droplets are united at any position on the upper surface of the stage to form a single droplet.

9. 3. The particle manipulation device according to claim 2, wherein the control means controls the sound field generating means so that one droplet is divided into a plurality of droplets at any position on the upper surface of the stage.

10. 3. The particle manipulation device according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the sound field generating means so that the particles jump upward from the upper surface of the stage.

11. 3. A particle manipulation method using the particle manipulation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the particle is moved to an arbitrary position on the stage by aligning the irradiation position of the sound beam with the arbitrary position on the stage.

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