A low melting point alloy as a functional material for a one-shot micro-valve

Abstract

A one-shot valve made using MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) technologies has been designed, fabricated and characterized. The operation of the device is temperature and pressure dependent. It consists in a channel obstructed by a membrane coated with a low melting point alloy. The valve is normally closed and opens if the ambient temperature is higher than the melting temperature of the alloy and if the pressure difference across the channel is such as to fracture the membrane. The working principle of the device has been demonstrated and several characteristics have been measured.