Electrostatically driven gas valve with high conductance

The characteristics of a gas valve driven by electrostatic force are investigated. The gas valve consists of a pair of planar electrodes with a conductive film between them. Three valve ports pass through the electrode plates. The film is elastically bent in an S-shape in the middle and the S-bend moves back and forth as voltage is alternately applied between the film and each electrode. This valve has a high conductance achieved by large vertical film displacement. The valve is suitable for rarefied gas control systems, such as the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) apparatus, which requires a gas flow rate on the order of 1 sccm under a low pressure of less than 100 Pa. Experimental models of the gas valve are constructed to investigate the valve´s operation. The maximum pressure difference the valve can handle depends on the applied voltage and the size of the port orifice. A valve with 2.0 mm inlet and outlet ports can work under the operating condition of the MBE apparatus