Spatially programmable deterministic lateral displacement for multi-stage microfluidic separation

) profile ranging from 4.7 to 19.2 μm within an array fabricated with uniform initial geometry. As particles traverse the array, size-dependent transitions between bump and zigzag migration modes occur at different positions, producing distinct cumulative lateral displacements and enabling sequential separation within a single device. Using the three-outlet architecture, the device further enables reconfigurable grouping of a four-component particle mixture into three outlet fractions by shifting the applied temperature window. Furthermore, the platform selectively isolated tumor cells, white blood cells, and red blood cells from diluted whole-blood samples spiked with MCF-7 cells. A descriptive assay indicated high post-processing viability of the MCF-7 cells. By enabling post-fabrication programming of the operating separation profile, this work demonstrates how the same physical array can be reconfigured for different separation tasks by changing the applied temperature window.