Electrostatic manipulation of DNA in microfabricated structures

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Abstract
Experimental observation of the electrostatic orientation and dielectrophoresis of DNA under a high-intensity field produced in a microfabricated electrode system is made, using the fluorescent method as a visualization technique. It is shown that the orientation takes place under a field strength of 10/sup 6/ V/m and the frequency at around 1 MHz. The stretch and shrink of an individual molecule is observed as the field is switched on and off. The molecular size (i.e. number of base pairs) is obtainable by measuring the stretched length of the molecule. A special field configuration is designed for the efficient molecular size determination using this principle. Molecular manipulation techniques, the alignment and positioning of the individual molecule, and the cutting of DNA at arbitrary locations with an ultraviolet beam are developed.