Design and fabrication of a peristaltic micropump

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and electrical characterization of a novel peristaltic thermopneumatic microfluidic (PTMF) pump. Such a pump is required for next-generation implantable medical treatment. To satisfy the demands of an implantable system, the PTMF pump design presented here includes biocompatibility, simple integration with microfluidics, bidirectionality, and particle tolerance. Test devices were fabricated with both silicon micromachining and soft lithography (polydimethylsiloxane micromolding). Electrical characterization and optical measurements have shown that this pump design is feasible, and that further research could result in a device suitable for medical implantation.