Bi-Directional Valve-Less Micropump Fabricated Using Deep Reactive Ion Etching

Abstract

The structure of the bi-directional valve-less micropump based on the temperature dependence of the liquid viscosity was newly designed, and test devices were fabricated using the deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) technology. The stability of the pumping behavior under high temperature conditions, which had been the major problem of the previous prototype, was largely improved. The characterization of the pump performance was extensively carried out for driving signals of the diaphragm actuator and the heaters, cooling conditions and the back pressure.