Silicon Pneumatic Microvalve

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

We report the design, fabrication and performance of a silicon microvalve to control precise gas flow. The valve is actuated by pneumatic force for opening and closing, and is assisted by electrostatic force for full shut off. The valve consists of two micromachined components which are bonded together by Au-Si eutectic bonding. One part contains the gas flow inlet and outlet, the other part deflectable silicon actuators which consist of corrugated diaphragms. This actuator is designed to be operated by combination of the pneumatic and electrostatic forces. A flow of 30 sewn at the outlet could be controlled, with the inlet pressure of 0.5 kgf/cm^(2). The leakage of the valve was 0.08 SCCM with the inlet pressure of 0.5 kgf/cm^(2) and the pneumatic air pressure of 0.5 kgf/cm^(2). This valve can potentially be baked for the purpose of precise gas control for sophisticated semiconductor processes.