Abstract
Reduction in power consumption while maintaining trajectory alignment and ensuring precise attitude control in microsatellites has been a global bottleneck in the coupled fields of inertial navigation and micropropulsion systems research. This paper presents the development of a novel microelectromechanical Pyrex/Si binary valve with piezoelectric stack-actuation for applications in microsatellite propulsion systems. The Pyrex 7740 and silicon wafers have been processed in parallel with two different structures being microfabricated and bonded eutectically to realize the microvalve. Electrochemical spark erosion method has been used to realize the inlet/outlet holes in Pyrex 7740 and KOH bulk micromachining to fabricate the top membrane structure in silicon. The device has been subjected to extensive analyses and characterization and has been shown to comply with the requirements of generic ion thrusters used for microsatellite propulsion.
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