Wafer-level fabrication of an EWOD-driven micropump
Conference: MikroSystemTechnik Kongress 2021 - Kongress
11/08/2021 - 11/10/2021 at Stuttgart-Ludwigsburg, Deutschland
Proceedings: MikroSystemTechnik Kongress 2021
Pages: 4Language: englishTyp: PDF
Authors:
Phi, Hai Binh (5microns GmbH, Ilmenau, Germany & Fachgebiet Mikrosystemtechnik, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany & nstitut für Mikro- und Nanotechnologien, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany)
Bohm, Sebastian (5microns GmbH, Ilmenau, Germany & Fachgebiet Theoretische Physik I, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany & Institut für Mikro- und Nanotechnologien, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany)
Runge, Erich (Fachgebiet Theoretische Physik I, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany & nstitut für Mikro- und Nanotechnologien, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany)
Strehle, Steffen (Fachgebiet Mikrosystemtechnik, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany & Institut für Mikro- und Nanotechnologien, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany)
Dittrich, Lars (5microns GmbH, Ilmenau, Germany)
Abstract:
This paper presents a fabrication process of a micropump solely driven by the electrowetting-on-dielectrics (short EWOD) effect. The novelty of this pump and its unique selling point lies in the absence of any moving parts through the implementation of passive Tesla valves and the application of the EWOD effect as actuation method. However, the economic potential of a micropump concept is crucially determined by its fabrication process. Thus, an efficient process had to be developed which ideally does not require assembly steps on chip-level. Such a fabrication process on wafer-level using adapted standard microfabrication techniques is presented here. Only two substrates are required to create a costefficient and robust micropump that does not require extensive assembly on chip-level. Thus, the micropump can easily be integrated into existing microfluidic systems without further piping or the like.