Microfluidic technology requires precise volume fluid injection in some cases. In these cases, syringe pumps, plunger pumps and so on are generally employed. However, such pumps are relatively large compared to microchannels. In this study, a micro diaphragm pump is developed. The pomp consists of a glass substrate and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) components, that are chamber, a wall of which is a diaphragm and two circular PDMS sheets. The combination of a hole of the substrate and a PDMS sheet plays a role of a one-way valve. The volume of the chamber on the substrate varies with the diaphragm deformation. This volume variation enables suction and discharge of working fluid, and two one-way valves control the flow direction. The discharge volume per stroke is determined by the diaphragm deformation that can be controlled. As the test results of prototype pump, it is confirmed that the fluid is discharged instantaneously in each stroke, and the discharge volume per stroke has an accuracy of ±1%.
TORIYAMA et al. (Wed,) studied this question.