Self-aligned electrospray device and related manufacturing techniques
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsMelissa A. Smith, Donna-Ruth W. Yost
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In some embodiments, a self-aligned electrospray device can include a silicon wafer, a fluid reservoir, and a circuit. The silicon wafer can have a layer of electrically insulating material deposited on a top surface and a deposited layer of electrically conducting material. The silicon wafer and the deposited layers can have through holes. The electrically insulating layer may be undercut. The fluid reservoir can be mounted to a bottom surface of the silicon wafer for containing fluid. The circuit can provide an electric potential difference and be coupled between the layer of electrically conducting material and the fluid reservoir.
Claims6
A self-aligned electrospray device comprising:
- a silicon wafer having a top surface and a bottom surface;
- a layer of electrically insulating material deposited on the top surface of the silicon wafer;
- a layer of electrically conducting material deposited on the layer of electrically insulating material,
- wherein the silicon wafer has through holes, the layer of electrically insulating material has through holes, the layer of electrically conducting material has through holes, and the electrically insulating layer is undercut, and
- wherein there is no misalignment between the through holes in the silicon wafer and corresponding ones of the through holes in both the layer of electrically insulating material and the layer of electrically conducting material;
- a fluid reservoir, mounted to the bottom surface of the silicon wafer, for containing fluid;
- and
- a circuit, for providing an electric potential difference, coupled between the layer of electrically conducting material and the fluid reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.