In the MIVADO project, research has been done towards the realization of a micro valve for compact and accurate dosage systems. The basic principle of a micro valve realized in silicon was already demonstrated in earlier projects, however much further research was needed to obtain sufficient reliability, lifespan and leak tightness.
Figure 1: Artist impression and operating principle of an SOI-based microvalve [1].
REFERENCES
[1] M.S. Groen, (2015) Microvalves for precise dosing: proportional flow control on a chip. PhD thesis, Univ. of Twente. ISBN 978-90-365-3961-6
[2] M.S. Groen, D.M. Brouwer, J.C. Lötters, R.J. Wiegerink, (2015) Miniature proportional control valve with top-mounted piezo bimorph actuator with millisecond response time. Journal of micromechanics and microengineering, 25. 105008.
[3] M.S. Groen, J. Groenesteijn, E. Meutstege, R.A. Brookhuis, D.M. Brouwer, J.C. Lötters, R.J. Wiegerink, (2015) Proportional control valves integrated in silicon nitride surface channel technology. Journal of microelectromechanical systems, 24 (6). pp. 1759-1767.
[4] M.S. Groen, D.M. Brouwer, R.A. Brookhuis, R.J. Wiegerink, (2014) Fluid flow regulator device, comprising a valve member and a valve seat defining a fluid flow surface area, as well as method of using the same. Patent WO2014NL50736 (Application).
[5] M.S. Groen, K. Wu, R.A. Brookhuis, M.J. van Houwelingen, D.M. Brouwer, J.C. Lötters, R.J. Wiegerink, (2014) A piezoelectric micro control valve with integrated capacitive sensing for ambulant blood pressure waveform monitoring. Journal of micromechanics and microengineering, 24 (12). 125020.
[6] M.S. Groen, R.A. Brookhuis, M.J. van Houwelingen, D.M. Brouwer, J.C. Lötters, R.J. Wiegerink,(2013) A micro control valve with integrated capacitive sensing for ambulant blood pressure waveform monitoring. In: Proceedings of MicroTAS 2013, 27-31 Oct 2013, Freiburg, Germany.
[7] M.S. Groen, D.M. Brouwer, J.C. Lötters, R.J. Wiegerink, (2012) Towards a microvalve for proportional control of mass flow. In: 1st International Conference on Microfluidic Handling Systems, MFHS 2012, 10-12 Oct 2012, Enschede, The Netherlands. pp. 148-151.
[8] M.S. Groen, D.M. Brouwer, R.J. Wiegerink, J.C. Lötters, (2012) Design considerations for a micromachined proportional control valve. Micromachines, 3 (2). pp. 396-412.