Back to results
US 6,237,619 B1Granted
Micro-machined device for fluids and method of manufacture
AssigneeWestonbridge International Limited
InventorsDidier Maillefer, Philippe Renaud
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a micro-machined fluid-flow device (10) comprising a substrate (12) possessing a flow duct (14), a deformable thin layer (18) such a pump membrane or a valve-forming membrane. According to the invention, the thin layer (18) is a rolled metal sheet, preferably made of titanium, and connected to the substrate (12) in the zone (20) overlapping the flow duct, by an anodic bonding. The invention is applicable to making a valve.
Claims7
A method of manufacturing a micro-machined device for a device containing a fluid, the method comprising the following steps:
- providing a substrate that possesses a flow duct;
- depositing a sacrificial layer on the substrate by physicochemical means;
- conserving zones of the sacrificial layer that are to give rise to a membrane which is not attached to the substrate by photolithography and chemical etching;
- rolling a deformable thin layer formed of a metal sheet;
- placing the thin layer on the substrate;
- connecting said thin layer to the zones of the substrate that are not covered by the sacrificial layer by means of a physico-chemical method;
- machining said thin layer by photolithography and chemical etching after it has been fixed on the substrate;
- and
- etching again the sacrificial layer, thereby releasing the membrane from the substrate.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.