Fabrication of a microvalve with piezoelectric actuation

Abstract

The fabrication of an active MEMS micro valve driven by integrated bulk single crystal piezoelectric actuators is reported. The valve is a nine-layer structure of glass, Si, and silicon on insulator (SOI) assembled by wafer level fusion bonding and anodic bonding, die level anodic bonding and eutectic bonding. Valve head strokes as large as 20/spl mu/m were realized through hydraulic amplification of small strokes of piezoelectric actuators. A flow rate of 0.21ml/s was obtained at 1 kHz. The fabrication, bonding and assembly processes, as well as some test results are described.