A polymeric piezoelectric micropump based on lamination technology

Abstract

This paper presents the first micropumps assembled using polymeric lamination technology. Each pump consists of two 100 µm thick, 10 mm diameter SU-8 discs; two 1.5 mm thick, 15 mm diameter polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) discs; and one piezo disc. The SU-8 parts were fabricated by a two-mask polymeric surface micromachining process with silicon as the sacrificial material. Each SU-8 disc has one micro check valve. The valve is a 1 mm plate suspended on a compliant orthoplanar spring. The cross section of the spring beam has a dimension of 100 µm × 100 µm. The PMMA parts were machined from an extrusion PMMA sheet by CO 2 laser. An off-the-shelf piezo bimorph disc worked as both actuator and pump membrane. The pump was assembled using adhesive bonding. The adhesive tapes were cut by the same laser system. Alignment pins were used in the assembly process. With a drive voltage of ±150 V the fabricated micropumps have been able to provide flow rates up to 2.9 ml min −1 and back pressures up to 1.6 m of water. The pump design and the polymeric technologies prove the feasibility of making more complex microfluidic systems based on the presented lamination approach.

Optimal Design and Simulation of a Microsuction Cup Integrated with a Valveless Piezoelectric Pump for Robotics

“…This makes them difficult to manufacture by traditional methods, but the air transmission characteristics of the micropump are very sensitive to these dimensions. If the micropump is assumed to be laminated by several thin layers, which can be manufactured independently, the micropump processing difficulty will be greatly reduced [14]. Therefore, the suction cup with micropump in this paper is designed with a laminated structure; the smaller parts are machined by laser engraving, while the other parts are processed by traditional machining methods.…”

SU‐8 as a structural material for labs‐on‐chips and microelectromechanical systems

“…The release process is usually performed in liquid phase. Thin films of titanium [33], silicon dioxide [28], copper [34,35], chromium [36], and trilayers chromium/gold/chromium [37] were used as sacrificial materials for releasing areas with lateral dimensions smaller than 1 mm. The film material is selected according to the compatibility of the chemical etchant with the other elements, such as electrodes that are to be integrated with the SU-8 component.…”

“…Adhesive bonding of cross-linked structures, i.e., introducing a glue, has also proven to be efficient [36,[71][72][73]. poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was used as an intermediary layer in a few works [74,75].…”

The Structure of Wheel Check Valve Influence on Air Block Phenomenon of Piezoelectric Micro-Pump

“…During sucking process, the chamber volume increases, the inlet valve opens, outlet valve closes, the fluid gets into the chamber; during the discharging process, the chamber volume decreases, the outlet valve opens, inlet valve closes, the fluid gets out of the chamber. Cycle by cycle, the flow reaches in one direction [4,[13][14][15][16].…”