Two-stage valve suitable as high-flow high-pressure microvalve

A two-stage valve for controlling the flow of fluid therethrough from a pressurized fluid supply comprising:

• an upper main body including a cavity therein, said cavity including an inner surface;
• a lower main body having a plurality of pressurized fluid supply exhaust outlet passages forming a primary flow path with the pressurized fluid supply, said primary flow path including an inlet passage for the flow of fluid from the pressurized fluid supply;
• a pre-stressed diaphragm sandwiched between said upper and lower main bodies, said pre-stressed diaphragm having an upper surface opposite to the inner surface of said cavity in said upper main body, said pre-stressed diaphragm having one side of a portion thereof in fluidic communication with said cavity, and the opposite side of said portion thereof in fluidic communication with the pressurized fluid supply, the inner surface of said cavity being contoured to correspond with the upper surface of said pre-stressed diaphragm;
• and
• pressure control means fluidically coupled to said cavity for controlling the pressure in said cavity to cause said portion of said pre-stressed diaphragm to open the flow of fluid from the pressurized fluid supply through said primary flow path of said two-stage valve and to cause said portion of said pre-stressed diaphragm to close the flow of fluid from the pressurized fluid supply through said primary flow path of said two-stage valve, at least a portion of the inner surface of said cavity in said upper main body providing a resting surface for the upper surface of said pre-stressed diaphragm,
• at least one of said plurality of supply fluid exhaust outlet passages being directed such that a component of supply fluid exhaust outlet velocity is in a direction opposite to a component of supply fluid exhaust outlet velocity in at least one other of said plurality of supply fluid exhaust outlet passages.