The design and fabrication of a magnetically actuated micromachined flow valve

Abstract In this paper, a magnetically actuated valve, manufactured by silicon and thin-film micromachining, is considered. An analysis of the magnetic circuit is made to determine the critical design parameters, and a fabrication sequence is described. An integrated array of these microvalves, when combined with chemical microsensors, is intended to form the basis of an automated flow distribution and chemical analysis system. The feasibility of magnetic actuation, an addressing scheme, and the fabrication process are discussed.