A micropump for droplet ejection

[[abstract]]A micropump with the function of ejecting droplet is designed and fabricated. It consists of the three components including the PZT actuator, pump body and nozzle plate. The pump body is made of the silicon while the nozzle plate is formed by nickel electroforming. The nozzle plate with single orifice is assembled to the pump body. The micropump is designed with the rectangular pressure chamber and the diffuser as the dynamic passive valve. It is driven by the PZT actuator which deflects the rectangular diaphragm through a bulge on diaphragm. The design of diaphragm with a bulge makes the assembly of the actuator easier and generates sufficient volume displacement. The volume displacement is not only predicted by ANSYS simulation but also verified by 2-dimensional laser scanning vibrometer. And, the prediction and measurement agree to some extent. The ejected droplets are observed by a visualization setup