# US 10,945,459 B1 · Plated silicon-based electronic cigarette atomizing chip and preparation method thereof

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- Number: US 10,945,459 B1
- Document ID: US10945459B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 16/763,560
- Filed: 2019-08-08
- Published: 2021-02-25
- Granted: 2021-03-16
- Earliest claimed: 2019-03-25
- Assignees: China Tobacco Yunnan Industrial Co., Ltd
- Applicants: China Tobacco Yunnan Industrial Co., Ltd
- Inventors: Yi Han; Shoubo Li; Li Chen; Tinghua Li; Yi Xu; Donglai Zhu; Xiaowei Gong; Wei Zhao; Xia Zhang; Jun Wu; Yongkuan Chen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10945459B1

## CPC

- A24F 40/70: Manufacture
- H05B 3/44: heating conductor arranged within rods or tubes of insulating material
- A24F 40/10: Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
- A24F 40/46: Shape or structure of electric heating means
- A24F 40/48: Fluid transfer means, e.g. pumps
- C03C 15/00: Surface treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by etching (etching or surface-brightening compositions, in general C09K13/00)
- G03F 7/40: Treatment after imagewise removal, e.g. baking
- G03F 7/422: {using liquids only (G03F7/421 takes precedence)}
- H05B 1/0297: {Heating of fluids for non specified applications}
- H05B 3/04: Waterproof or air-tight seals for heaters
- H05B 3/267: {the insulating base being an organic material, e.g. plastic (H05B3/262 takes precedence)}
- A24F 40/485: Valves; Apertures
- C25D 3/12: of nickel or cobalt
- C25D 5/54: Electroplating of non-metallic surfaces (C25D7/12 takes precedence)
- H05B 2203/013: Heaters using resistive films or coatings
- H05B 2203/021: Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids
- H05B 2203/022: Heaters specially adapted for heating gaseous material
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- A24F: SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES (inhaling appliances for medical purposes, shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes A61M15/06)
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- C03C: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)
- C25D: PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A plated silicon-based electronic cigarette atomizing chip includes the following components: a silicon substrate, wherein the silicon substrate is provided with an array of micro-pillars or an array of micro-holes, an inlet end, and an outlet end, the outer walls of the micro-pillars are plated side walls, the inner walls of the micro-holes are plated inner walls, and the array of micro-pillars defines a plurality of micro-channels or electronic cigarette liquid channels penetrating the micro-holes are provided on the silicon substrate; a glass cover, wherein the air holes passing through the glass cover are provided; and the glass cover is fixedly connected to the silicon substrate by a bonding process.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A plated silicon-based electronic cigarette atomizing chip, comprising the following components:
a silicon substrate, wherein the silicon substrate is provided with an array of micro-pillars or an array of micro-holes, an inlet end, and an outlet end, outer walls of the array of micro-pillars are plated side walls, inner walls of the array of micro-holes are plated inner walls, and the array of micro-pillars defines a plurality of micro-channels or electronic cigarette liquid channels penetrating the array of micro-holes are provided on the silicon substrate;
a glass cover, wherein air holes passing through the glass cover are provided; and
the glass cover is fixedly connected to the silicon substrate by a bonding process.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The plated silicon-based electronic cigarette atomizing chip according to claim 1, wherein a plated metal on the plated outer walls of the array of micro-pillars or the plated inner walls of the array of micro-holes is a metal or an alloy, wherein a standard electrode potential of metal or an alloy is more positive than a standard electrode potential of Si/SiO2.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The plated silicon-based electronic cigarette atomizing chip according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of each of the micro-pillars or each of the micro-holes ranges from 20 μm to 300 μm.

### Claim 4

A method for preparing a plated silicon-based electronic cigarette atomizing chip, comprising the following steps:
a, etching an array of micro-pillars or an array of micro-holes, an inlet end, and an outlet end on a silicon substrate;
b, cleaning the silicon substrate after being etched in step a to obtain a clean electroplated surface of the silicon substrate;
c, plating outer walls of an array of micro-pillars or inner walls of an array of micro-holes by a plating method to obtain a plated silicon wafer;
d, manufacturing an array of air holes passing through a glass cover;
e, bonding the plated silicon wafer obtained in step c with the glass cover obtained in step d to obtain a bonded silicon wafer by a bonding process; and
f, filling an inlet pipe or a liquid-guiding material at the inlet end of the bonded silicon wafer, filling an outlet pipe or the liquid-guiding material at the outlet end, then, inserting wires into the bonded silicon wafer to obtain the plated silicon-based electronic cigarette atomizing chip.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method for preparing the plated silicon-based electronic cigarette atomizing chip according to claim 4, wherein
the cleaning in step b comprises: 1), cleaning and removing a photoresist etched on the silicon substrate with acetone or nitric acid; 2), ashing in an oxygen atmosphere to remove an residual polymer film, 3) immersing the silicon substrate in hydrofluoric acid to remove an oxide film formed during the ashing and to strip residual carbon from an oxidized surface; and 4) immersing the silicon substrate in hydrofluoric acid, then washing the silicon substrate with water and drying the silicon substrate to obtain the clean electroplated surface.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method for preparing the plated silicon-based electronic cigarette atomizing chip according to claim 4, wherein the plating method in step c comprises a chemical plating method or an electroplating method.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method for preparing the plated silicon-based electronic cigarette atomizing chip according to claim 4, wherein in step d, a mechanical method or a chemical method is configured to prepare the array of air holes passing through a cross-section of the glass cover.