Fabrication, assembly, and testing of a MEMS-enabled micro gas compressor for a 4:1 pressure ratio

This study describes the fabrication, assembly, and testing of a micro gas compressor. The compressor is formed by MEMS-based check valves coupled to a Kapton membrane driven by a mechanically amplified piezoelectric actuator. The valves are surface machined on a silicon substrate using polyimide as the structural material and copper as the sacrificial material. This design allows valves with low leak rates, low compressor dead volume, and the high compressible volume required to generate the pressure levels required of numerous applications including cryogenic cooling. The assembled compressor is tested with voltages over the range of 25–180 V and frequencies over the range of 25–700 Hz. A maximum pressure ratio of 4.3:1 is found when the actuator provides a maximum displacement of 156 μm, while the maximum flow-rate through the compressor of 51 standard cubic cm per minute (sccm) is observed when the compressor is operating at its resonant frequency.