Fraunhofer-gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.v.

Reinhard Linnemann

Martin Richter

Stefan Kluge

Peter Woias

A method of producing a pump body having an inlet opening provided with an inlet valve ( ) and an outlet opening provided with an outlet valve ( ), said method comprising as a first step the step of structuring a respective first main surface of a first and of a second semiconductor disc ( ) for defining a valve flap structure ( ) of the inlet valve and a valve seat structure ( ) of the outlet valve in the first disc and a valve flap structure of the outlet valve and a valve seat structure of the inlet valve in the second disc. Following this, a valve flap well structure ( ) and a valve opening well structure ( ) are formed in a predetermined relationship with the valve flap structures and the valve seat structures in a respective second main surface of the first and of the second semiconductor disc. The first main surfaces of said first and second semiconductor discs are connected in such a way that the respective valve flap structure is arranged in a predetermined relationship with a respective valve seat structure. Finally, the respective second main surface of said first and of said second semiconductor disc is etched at least in the area of the valve flap well structure and of the valve opening well structure so as to expose the valve flaps and open the valve seats.

Method for producing a micromembrane pump body

A micromembrane pump comprises a pump membrane which is adapted to be moved to a first and a second position with the aid of a drive means and a pump body connected to the pump membrane so as to define a pump chamber between these two components, the pump body being defined by two semiconductor plates having each formed therein a valve seat and a valve flap which are formed integrally with the respective semiconductor plate, the two semiconductor plates being connected in such a way that a respective passive non-return valve is defined by a valve seat of one semiconductor plate and by a valve flap of the other semiconductor plate, one of the passive non-return valves being arranged in an inlet opening penetrating both semiconductor plates, whereas the other of the non-return valves is arranged in an outlet opening penetrating both semiconductor plates. The pump membrane increases the volume of the pump chamber by a stroke volume when moving from the first to the second position and reduces the volume of the pump chamber by this stroke volume when moving from the second to the first position. According to the present invention, the ratio &egr; of the stroke volume to the volume of the pump chamber satisfies the following equation, when the pump membrane is at the first position:

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München, Germany

Reinhard Linnemann