Design, fabrication, and testing of a piezoelectrically driven high flow rate micro-pump

Towards the development of novel class of miniature transducers with very high specific power, a high frequency and high flow rate hydraulic micro-pump with passive check valves was fabricated and tested. The micro-pump features a small piezoelectric (PZT-5H/PZN-PT) cylinder integrated into micromachined silicon and pyrex chips. The piezoelectric cylinder bonded to a thick circular disk serves as the drive element in the pump chamber, and two axisymmetric silicon membranes with hollow annular bosses serve as system check valves. Using silicone oil as the working fluid, the performance of the micro-pump was tested by varying voltages from 0 to 1600 V and frequencies from 1 kHz to 12 kHz. The micro-pump with PZT-5H element achieved a high flow rate of 2.5 ml/min at 1200 V and 4.5 kHz.