2209 MEMS技術を用いたECF三角柱-スリット形電極対の性能評価(マイクロデバイス,一般講演)

Abstract

Electro-conjugate fluid (ECF) is a dielectric and functional fluid, which generates a powerful jet when electrodes inserted into it are subjected to direct current less than thousands of volts. As one essential research field on ECF, researchers have been conducting the study on electrodes. Several structures, e.g. planar parallel rod-like electrode array, ring-needle electrode pair and triangular-prism-slit (TPS) electrode pair, were proposed. Among them, the TPS electrode structure is often thought as the most promising candidate for future ECF applications thanks to its great merits of combining easy fabrication and relatively high performance. In this paper, in order to evaluate performance of the TPS electrode pair fabricated by MEMS technology, we conceive novel MEMS fabrication processes to utilize micro molds of thick photoresist and their electroplating. The relationships between output pressure and important parameters of the TPS electrode pair, including slit thickness, slit width, electrode gap, and tip angle are investigated. The experimental results show that thin slit thickness, narrow slit width, small gap are necessary in order to gain higher output pressure.