FLUID MICRO-DIODE

摘要

A fluid micro-diode for directionally coupling a dosed fluid to another stationary or flowing target fluid contained in a closed system, in particular in the sub-microliter range, is characterised by a planar arrangement of micro-capillaries open at both ends or by a system of micro-capillaries open at both ends and closely arranged next to each other, which are in direct contact with the target fluid at their outlet side and are separated at their inlet side from the dosed fluid to be intermittently supplied by an air or gas cushion, forming a meniscus (6) whose curvature depends on the surface tension. The fluid micro-diode forms a component (1) made of a sandwich arrangement of a flow channel (9), of the diode itself designed as a grid of capillaries and of a spacer chip (2) that secures the gaseous medium in the area of the coupling surface. These three stacked elements are produced as modules by micro-structuring techniques and may be integrated into micro-systems by building and joining techniques for micro-systems. The fluid micro-diode is characterised by a simple design and coupling flexibility to various micro-flow systems in which exists a hydrostatic pressure in the range of the prevailing ambient pressure.