Miniature proportional control valve with top-mounted piezo bimorph actuator with millisecond response time

In this paper we demonstrate the realization of a micro control valve with a top-mounted piezoelectric bimorph actuator, to obtain a high-bandwidth proportional control valve for gases in the range of several grams per hour. Dynamic fluidic and mechanical characterization shows that the valve is suitable for high-speed flow control with response times on the order of milliseconds. The microvalve contains an integrated capacitive displacement sensor for position-based control, which can be used to improve the control precision. The microvalve is realized in a straight-forward fabrication process based on a single SOI wafer. A high level of integration of the piezo actuator is achieved using a flexible silicone rubber support between the bimorph and the silicon. This leads to a small volume, high speed device.