Pump produced in a substrate

Abstract

A pump having a first substrate extending in a plane, a cavity formed in a top face thereof and having fixed lateral walls that delimit sides thereof, intake and evacuation channels formed in the top face, each parallel to the plane from an inlet to an outlet, the outlet of the intake channel and the inlet of the evacuation channel opening into the cavity at the walls, a second substrate bonded onto the top face and forming a fluid-tight chamber, a membrane forming a wall of the chamber and being deformable between suction and positions to suck or discharge fluid, and non-return valves formed in the top face, each having a proximal side anchored to the first substrate. The proximal side of the first is between the orifices of the intake channel, and the proximal side of the second valve is between the orifices of the evacuation channel.

1 . An apparatus comprising a pump, said pump comprising a first substrate extending in a substrate plane, a cavity formed in a top face of said first substrate, said cavity having fixed lateral walls that delimit sides thereof, intake and evacuation channels for intake and evacuation of fluid, said intake and evacuation channels being formed in said top face of said first substrate, each of said intake and evacuation channels extending parallel to said substrate plane from an inlet orifice to an outlet orifice, said outlet orifice of said intake channel and said inlet orifice of said evacuation channel opening directly into said cavity at said fixed lateral walls, a second substrate bonded onto said top face of said first substrate and sealing said cavity to form a fluid-tight chamber, a membrane forming a wall of said fluid-tight chamber, said membrane being deformable from a suction position to a discharge position to discharge fluid outside said chamber via said evacuation channel, and from said discharge position to said suction position to suck fluid into said chamber via said intake channel, and first and a second non-return valves formed in said top face of said first substrate, each non-return valve comprising a proximal side anchored with no degree of freedom to said first substrate, wherein said proximal side of said first non-return valve is situated between said inlet and outlet orifices of said intake channel, and said proximal side of said second non-return valve is situated between said inlet and outlet orifices of said evacuation channel. 
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each valve comprises a free periphery configured for displacement relative to said first substrate between an open position, in which said valve allows free passage to fluid circulating in a direction running from said intake into said evacuation channel, and a closed position, in which said valve blocks said passage of said fluid in said reverse direction, and wherein each channel comprises, between inlet and outlet orifices thereof, a shoulder on which most of said free periphery of said valve rests in said closed position and from which said free periphery of said valve is separated in said open position. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said membrane is a thinned part of said second substrate bonded onto said top face of said first substrate, said second substrate further comprising an abutment protruding on a bottom face thereof, said abutment forming at least one part of said shoulder. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said valves has a thickness that is at least five times smaller than a width thereof so as to allow displacement of said at least one of said valves between said open and closed positions by elastic deformation only under action of a pressure difference between downstream and upstream sides of said at least one of said valves. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said outlet orifice of said intake channel is situated on a first side of said cavity and said inlet orifice of said evacuation channel is situated on a second side of said cavity, and wherein said intake channel and said inlet orifice face each other across said cavity. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said proximal side of at least one of said valves extends parallel to said substrate plane. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said proximal side of at least one of said valves extends at right angles to said substrate plane. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said pump further comprises an actuator configured for converting received energy into a displacement of said membrane between its suction and discharge positions. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said actuator is incorporated in said membrane and comprises at least one layer that is deformable in response to said received energy, said at least one layer forming part of said membrane. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said actuator is separate from said membrane and mechanically connected to said membrane by a mechanical attachment element configured for transmitting a deformation of said actuator to said membrane. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said pump comprises a plurality of combinations of said cavity, channels, membrane, and non-return valves. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said membrane covers all of said cavity. 
     
     
         13 . A method for manufacturing a pump, said method comprising supplying a first substrate extending essentially in a substrate plane, said first substrate having a top face, forming, in said first substrate, from a top face thereof, a cavity delimited by fixed lateral walls, intake and evacuation channels, said channels extending parallel to said substrate plane from respective inlet orifices to respective outlet orifices, said outlet orifice of said intake channel and said inlet orifice of said evacuation channel opening directly into said cavity at said fixed lateral walls, and first and second non-return valves, each non-return valve comprising a proximal side anchored with no degree of freedom to said first substrate, bonding a second substrate onto said top face of said first substrate so as to seal said cavity to form a fluid-tight chamber, forming in one of said first substrate and said second substrate, a membrane forming a wall of said fluid-tight chamber, said membrane being deformable from a suction position to a discharge position to discharge fluid outside said chamber via said evacuation channel, and from said discharge position to said suction position to suck fluid into said chamber via said intake channel, wherein during said formation of said first and second non-return valves said proximal side of said first valve is situated between said inlet and outlet orifices of said intake channel, and said proximal side of said second valve is situated between said inlet and outlet orifices of said evacuation channel. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , said method further comprising forming, in each of said channels, between inlet and outlet orifices thereof, a shoulder on which most of a free periphery of said non-return valve rests in a closed position and from which said free periphery of said non-return valve is separated in an open position, said shoulder being formed partly on said first substrate and partly on said second substrate, before said bonding of said first and second substrates. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising forming said membrane in said second substrate, said membrane being configured to seal said cavity to form said fluid-tight chamber.