Micropump with electrostatic actuation

A micropump comprising:

• a first semiconductor substrate, including a first carrier layer made of monocrystalline silicon and a first structural layer made of polycrystalline silicon, the first carrier layer and the first structural layer being mechanically connected to each other and electrically isolated from one another by a first dielectric layer;
• a second semiconductor substrate including a second carrier layer made of monocrystalline silicon and a second structural layer made of polycrystalline silicon, the second carrier layer and the second structural layer being mechanically connected to each other and electrically isolated from one another by a second silicon oxide dielectric layer, the first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor substrate being bonded to each other;
• a pumping chamber, between the first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor substrate;
• an inlet valve, having an inlet shutter element between an inlet passage and the pumping chamber, the inlet shutter element being connected to one of the first structural layer of the first semiconductor substrate and the second structural layer of the second semiconductor substrate by elastic suspension elements made of semiconductor material, extending in a transverse direction with respect to a direction of movement of the inlet shutter element;
• an outlet valve, having an outlet shutter element between the pumping chamber and an outlet passage;
• a first recess fluidly coupled to the pumping chamber and configured to house the inlet shutter element when the inlet valve is in an open configuration, the first recess being defined by a first interruption in one of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer and delimited by the corresponding first carrier layer or second carrier layer;
• a second recess fluidly decoupled from the pumping chamber and configured to house the outlet shutter element when the outlet valve is in an open configuration, the second recess being defined by a second interruption in one of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer and delimited by the corresponding first carrier layer or second carrier layer;
• and
• fluid passages defined between the elastic suspension elements, the first recess being fluidly coupled to the pumping chamber through the fluid passages;
• wherein the outlet shutter element is connected to the first semiconductor substrate by an elastic valve membrane and the second recess is fluidly decoupled from the pumping chamber by the valve membrane.