A hybrid PZT-silicon microvalve

A low-voltage, low-power microvalve for compact battery-powered portable microfluidic platforms is designed, fabricated and experimentally characterized. The microvalve employs laser-machined piezoelectric unimorphs mechanically linked to surface micromachined nickel structures anchored on corrugated Si_xN_y-Parylene composite membrane tethers. The Parylene layer also serves as a compliant sealing layer on the valve seat for reducing the leakage in the off state. A mechanical linking process to connect the bulk piezoelectric unimorphs to micromachined diaphragms in a self-aligned manner has been developed. The design enables large strokes (2.45 μm) at low-actuation voltages (10 V) consuming a comparatively low switching energy (678 nJ). The dependence of the measured flow rates on the modulated clearance over the orifice was found to be in good agreement with the theory of laminar flow in the low (1-100) Reynolds number regime. The microvalve was experimentally characterized for both gas and liquid flows. For example, at 10 V unimorph actuation, a gas flow rate of 420 μL/min at a differential pressure of 9.66 kPa was measured. The off-state leakage rate for 0 V actuation is estimated to be 10-20 μL/min. Typical flow rates with pulse width modulated (PWM) actuation with 50% duty cycle at 20 V_pp (1 kHz) were measured to be 770 μL/min at 6.9 kPa for gases and 2.77 μL/min at 4.71 kPa for liquids.