JP2005238347A - Channel member and channel device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To impart a flow rate adjusting function which quickly and accurately adjust a flow rate, to a channel member. <P>SOLUTION: The channel member comprises an insulating substrate 1, a channel 11 built in the insulating substrate 1, and an actuator 3 for increasing/decreasing a flow rate by changing the shape of the channel 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a flow channel member and a flow channel device that can increase and decrease a flow rate by an actuator.

  In recent years, with the development of microfabrication technology in the semiconductor industry, technology for producing fine wiring on silicon, glass substrates, and resin substrates has come to be widely used, and small electrochemical sensors have been produced in the environment and medical fields. Has been applied.

  In recent years, DNA analysis technology has been greatly developed, and analysis using an electrophoresis method has been performed using an apparatus in which fine flow paths are formed on a glass substrate. The small analysis method μTAS (Total Analysis System) used is a hot topic. In chemical equipment, the concept of microreactors has emerged, and it is expected that by reducing the size of the reaction equipment, it will be possible to conserve resources and facilitate experiments, and the number of experiments will be expected to increase accordingly. The In the medical field, blood analysis and the like can be performed on the spot, and a rapid medical treatment may be performed.

  Although the flow path forming method of the microreactor is relatively simple, the flow rate adjustment of the fluid in the flow path is performed by designing the flow path by trial and error, and it is necessary to make a prototype each time. Furthermore, when the viscosity of the fluid changes, fine adjustment is difficult.

In order to adjust the flow rate of the fluid in the flow path, for example, a method of adjusting the flow of the flow path by providing a micro valve in the middle of the flow path (see Patent Document 1), A method has been proposed in which a substance that undergoes sol-gel transition by stimulation is added to a fluid flowing through a flow path, the flow is controlled by applying a stimulus to a desired location on a micro flow path, and gelling the fluid (see Patent Document 2). Yes.
JP 2002-282682 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-163022

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, the flow rate cannot be adjusted because the valve can only be opened and closed. Further, in the method of Patent Document 2, it is necessary to measure the correlation between the stimulation amount and the flow rate in advance in order to perform precise adjustment, and it is not considered that the response speed and reproducibility are highly reliable. It is hard to say that precise flow rate adjustment is possible.

  An object of this invention is to provide the flow-path member, its manufacturing method, and flow-path apparatus which were excellent in the flow volume adjustment precision.

  The flow path member of the present invention includes an insulating substrate, a flow path built in the insulating substrate, and an actuator that increases or decreases the flow rate by changing the shape of the flow path.

  In the channel member of the present invention, it is desirable that an actuator be disposed on the wall surface of the channel.

  In the flow path member of the present invention, it is desirable that a piezoelectric element protective layer is provided between the flow path and the piezoelectric element.

  In addition, the flow path member of the present invention preferably includes a plurality of flow paths through which different fluids circulate, and includes a mixing field in which the plurality of flow paths merge to mix the different fluids.

  In the channel member of the present invention, it is desirable that each of the plurality of channels is provided with an actuator that increases or decreases the flow rate by changing the shape of the channel.

  Moreover, it is desirable that the flow path member of the present invention has a plurality of actuators arranged so as to sandwich the flow path.

  In the flow path member of the present invention, it is desirable that the insulating substrate contains at least a resin.

  In the flow path member of the present invention, it is desirable that the resin constituting the insulating substrate is a thermoplastic resin.

  In the flow path member of the present invention, it is desirable that the insulating substrate is mainly composed of ceramics.

  In the flow path member of the present invention, the wiring circuit is preferably made of a low resistance metal containing at least one of gold, silver, copper, and aluminum.

  The flow channel device of the present invention is characterized in that a pump is connected to the flow channel member described above via a connecting member.

  The flow channel device of the present invention is characterized in that a flow rate measuring device is connected to the flow channel member described above via a connecting member.

  With the flow path member of the present invention, the flow area of the flow path built in the insulating substrate can be changed using an actuator, and the flow rate of the fluid can be controlled quickly and accurately.

  Further, by arranging the actuator on the wall surface of the flow path, the flow path can be controlled with a simpler structure, the cost of the flow path member can be reduced, and the reliability can be improved. .

  Further, by protecting the piezoelectric element with the piezoelectric element protective layer, deterioration of the piezoelectric element due to the fluid can be prevented, and the life of the flow path member can be extended.

  Further, by providing a place where different fluids are mixed and reacted as a microreactor having a plurality of flow paths for circulating different fluids, various reactions can be performed.

  In addition, by providing an actuator for changing the shape of the flow path to increase or decrease the flow rate in each of the plurality of flow paths, the flow rate of each flow path supplied to the reaction field can be controlled, and further fine adjustment of the reaction can be performed. It becomes possible.

  In addition, when it is difficult to control the flow rate with the displacement amount of one actuator, the flow rate can be largely controlled by combining two or more actuators so as to sandwich the flow path.

  In addition, by using a resin with excellent processability as the insulating substrate, even a fine flow path can be easily formed. In addition, when a transparent resin is used, it is possible to visualize the flow of fluid and to perform spectroscopic measurement.

  Further, by using a thermoplastic resin as the resin, it is possible to use a processing technique such as imprinting, which facilitates mass production and further reduces costs.

  In addition, the fluid may be water-based or solvent-based, but in the case of the solvent-based fluid, it is difficult to use a resin as the insulating substrate. Also, when the fluid is a strong acid, strong alkali, or the like, the resin may not be used because the resin may be decomposed. Even in such a case, an organic solvent, strong acid, strong alkali, or the like can be used as the fluid by forming the insulating substrate with a ceramic material having excellent solvent resistance and chemical resistance. In addition, when controlling the temperature, it is possible to increase the temperature if it is ceramic.

  In addition, by using a low-resistance metal containing at least one of gold, silver, copper, and aluminum for the wiring circuit, it does not generate heat even when a high-voltage current is passed, especially when precise temperature control is required. desirable.

  Further, by using the flow path device of the present invention, fluid resistance can be generated, and pulsation and pulsation generated when a raw material fluid is flowed using a pump that generates a minute flow rate can be rectified. .

  Further, by connecting the flow rate measuring device to the flow path member via the connecting member, the actual flow rate can be measured, and more accurate measurement can be performed.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the flow path member of the present invention is a laminate of a wiring side substrate 1a that is an insulating substrate 1 and a flow path side substrate 1b, and an actuator 3 is embedded in the wiring side substrate 1a. A through conductor 15 and a conductor wiring layer 17 for supplying current to the actuator 3 are connected to the + external electrode 5a and the negative external electrode 5b of the actuator 3. The actuator 3 is fixed to the wiring side substrate 1a by an adhesive sheet 7. The piezoelectric element 3 as the actuator 3 is preferably protected by a piezoelectric element protective layer 9 made of resin or the like. The flow path 11 includes a groove provided on a surface of the flow path side substrate 1b on the side in contact with the wiring side substrate 1a and a wiring side substrate 1a that closes the groove.

  The size of the actuator 3 is increased or decreased by applying a voltage to the actuator 3 built in the flow path member and disposed in the vicinity of the flow path 11 via the conductor wiring layer 17, the through conductor 15, and the external electrode 5. In addition, the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the flow path 11 can be changed by increasing or decreasing the cross-sectional area of the flow path 11.

  2A, 2B, and 2C show the detailed structure of the piezoelectric element 3 that is the actuator 3. FIG. As shown in FIG. 2A, the piezoelectric element 3 is configured by alternately laminating thin piezoelectric insulating layers 19 and thin internal electrode layers 21. Further, the internal electrode layer 21 includes a positive side internal electrode layer 21 a and a negative side internal electrode layer 21 b, which are alternately stacked with the piezoelectric insulating layer 19 interposed therebetween. All the + side internal electrode layers 21a are connected to the + side external electrode 5a, while all the − side internal electrode layers 21b are connected to the − side external electrode 5b.

  FIG. 2B is a plan view showing the shape of the internal electrode layer 21. For example, since the + side internal electrode layer 21a formed on the main surface of the piezoelectric insulating layer 19 is electrically connected to the + side external electrode 5a formed on one end of the piezoelectric element 3, FIG. In this example, since it extends to the right end and needs to be electrically insulated from the other three sides, there is an insulating portion not provided with the + side internal electrode layer 21a for each side. Is formed. A negative side internal electrode layer 21b is formed on the main surface of the piezoelectric insulating layer 19 opposite to the main surface on which the positive side internal electrode layer 21a is formed. The shape is the reverse of 21a. That is, contrary to the + side external electrode 5a, the −side internal electrode layer 21b extends on the left side.

  FIG. 2C shows that the piezoelectric element 3 is displaced in the vertical direction by controlling the voltage.

  That is, the flow path member of the present invention incorporates the actuator 3 that is displaced in the vertical direction by controlling the voltage so as to be adjacent to the flow path 11, thereby accurately determining the cross-sectional area of the flow path 11 of the flow path member. Even if the flow path 11 is extremely fine, the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the flow path 11 can be controlled quickly and precisely.

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the flow path 11 formed in the flow path member of the present invention. First, fluids A to D are introduced into the flow paths 11a to 11d using a pump. Of these fluids, the fluid B introduced into the flow path 11b flows separately into a flow path 11e and a flow path 11f branched from the flow path b. Then, the flow rate of the fluid introduced into the flow paths 11a to 11d is adjusted by the flow rate adjusting units 4A to 4E provided with the actuator 3 (not shown), and flows to the flow paths 11g to 11k.

  For example, the fluid A that has passed through the flow path 11g via the flow path 11a and the flow rate adjustment unit 4A, and the fluid B that has passed through the flow path 11h via the flow path 11b, the flow path 11e, and the flow rate adjustment unit 4B are: The channel 11g and the channel 11h are mixed in the channel 11m formed by joining. For example, when the fluids A and B are substances that can react, the flow path 11m becomes a reaction field between the fluid A and the fluid B.

  Further, the fluid B that has passed through the flow path 11f is adjusted in flow rate by the flow rate adjusting unit 4C and flows out to the flow path 11i. Further, the fluid C introduced into the flow path 11c flows out to the flow path 11j through the flow rate adjusting unit 4D, merges with the flow path 11i, and is mixed with the fluid B from the flow path 11i in the flow path 11n. And when the fluid B and the fluid C react, this flow path 11n becomes a reaction field of the fluid B and the fluid C. Further, the mixed fluid or the reaction fluid of the fluid B and the fluid C is mixed or reacted in the fluid D and the fluid channel 11p joined to the fluid channel 11n via the fluid channel 11d, the flow rate adjusting unit 4E, and the fluid channel 11k. become.

  As shown in FIG. 3, according to the flow path member of the present invention, a plurality of fluids can be mixed and reacted with high accuracy, and even a very small amount of fluid can be mixed and reacted. it can. It is also possible to continuously mix and react fluids having different compositions.

  In such a flow path member, the actuator 3 is disposed in the flow rate adjusting units 4A to 4E. However, the flow rate adjusting units 4A to 4E may be formed to be wide and shallow with respect to the direction in which the volume of the actuator 3 increases or decreases. desirable. With such a structure, the pulsating flow generated by the pump can be rectified due to the generation of resistance due to the change in the cross-sectional structure. Furthermore, the flow rate can be changed greatly even if the displacement of the actuator is very small.

  In addition, when the actuator 3 is arranged so as to sandwich the flow path 11 in the flow rate adjustment units 4A to 4E, the volume increase / decrease amount and the speed of increase / decrease by the displacement of the actuator 3 are doubled. Therefore, the flow rate can be greatly changed more rapidly.

  Needless to say, each actuator 3 can be independently controlled as necessary.

  As described above, the flow path 11 formed in the flow path member of the present invention circulates various gases, liquids, and mixed fluids, and it is desirable to appropriately design and change the shape according to the purpose. . For example, when there is no need to perform processing such as mixing other components in the fluid, such as component analysis in the atmosphere or measuring the pH of the liquid, the cross-sectional structure of the channel 11 has a low resistance between the fluid and the wall. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, it is desirable that the structure be a substantially semicircle.

  In addition, when inspecting a processed fluid by mixing the fluid with a chemical, etc., it is necessary to mix the fluid and the chemical. Desirably, for example, as shown in FIG. In addition, in order to finish the mixing and reaction at a shorter distance, the fluid is turbulent by forming a groove on the wall surface of the flow path 11 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the fluid flow direction. It is desirable.

  Thus, it is desirable that the cross-sectional shape of the flow path 11 is optimized in accordance with the purpose. Needless to say, the optimum cross-sectional shape of the flow path 11 also varies depending on the characteristics of the fluid. For example, a fluid with low viscosity flows sufficiently even if the width of the flow path 11 is narrow, but the cross-sectional area of the flow path 11 needs to be increased when the viscosity of the fluid increases. From such a viewpoint, the width of the flow path 11 is suitably about 100 to 700 μm. The same applies to the depth of the flow path 11. When the viscosity is low, the depth is shallow, and when the viscosity is high, the depth is desirably deep, and 100 to 500 μm is appropriate.

  Moreover, the material of the wiring side board | substrate 1a used for the flow path member of this invention and the flow path side board | substrate 1b uses a thermosetting resin, a thermoplastic resin, and a ceramic material, and can be selected according to the objective of experiment. The material of the wiring side substrate 1a and the flow path side substrate 1b is preferably a thermoplastic resin in consideration of the workability of the material, and is a styrenic resin, acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, polyester resin, silicone resin, and A thermoplastic fluorine-based resin or the like is preferably used. In particular, when used as a detector in spectroscopic measurement, since transparency is important, it is preferable to select a processing condition that provides a transparent resin substrate or a resin substrate with high transparency. . The thermoplastic resin can be processed by imprinting or nanoimprinting, and is suitable for manufacturing a large amount of the same shape. Further, the thermosetting resin is excellent in solvent resistance, and is particularly suitable for applications in which spectroscopic measurement is performed using an organic solvent as a fluid. As such a thermosetting resin, an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, a urethane resin, a thermosetting polyphenylene ether resin, a polyimide resin, or the like is used. As the ceramic material, alumina, mullite, aluminum nitride or the like is used. Ceramic materials have excellent solvent resistance and chemical resistance, and are particularly suitable when a resin cannot be used. In addition, when the insulating substrate 1 is formed of a ceramic material, it is excellent in heat resistance, so that it can be used for a long time without any problem even if it involves an exothermic reaction.

  In addition, when the insulating substrate 1 is formed of a ceramic material, it can be heated by an external heater. Further, it is possible to incorporate a heater electrode, in which case the entire apparatus can be miniaturized.

As a material of the piezoelectric insulating layer 19 of the actuator 3, lead zirconate titanate Pb (Zr, Ti) O ₃ (PZT) having a perovskite structure, and other magnesium niobate lead Pb (Mg _1/3 Nb _{2 / 3} ) O ₃ (PZN) or the like is used. The external electrode 5 is made of a conductive paste that is a mixture of metal powder and resin. The internal electrode layer 21 is made of silver, silver palladium alloy paste, nickel paste or the like in consideration of electric resistance and the like.

  When the actuator 3 is mounted on the wiring side substrate 1a, it is desirable to provide an actuator adhesive layer 7 having an adhesive force or adhesive force between the actuator 3 and the wiring side substrate 1a. As the actuator adhesive layer 7, an epoxy sheet used when mounting a semiconductor element or the like can be suitably used. Note that the material is not particularly limited as long as it is sticky or adhesive. Alternatively, the actuator 3 may be solder mounted on the through conductor 15 without using the actuator adhesive layer 7.

  Further, the through conductor 15 provided through the wiring side substrate 1a is made of, for example, a conductive paste made of a conductive metal and a thermosetting resin in a through hole 15a processed using a carbonic acid laser or the like. Filled and formed. As the metal component, copper, silver-coated copper, solder-coated copper or the like alone or a mixture with a low melting point metal is preferably used. The resin may be a thermosetting resin, and a general-purpose epoxy resin may be used. As the epoxy resin, bisphenol type epoxy resin, novolak type epoxy resin, phenol novolak type epoxy resin, other functional type epoxy resin, etc. are suitably used, and acid anhydride type, amine type and imidazole type are mixed as a curing agent. Thus, a conductive paste that becomes the through conductor 15 is obtained. Moreover, you may use a phenol resin as resin.

  The conductor wiring layer 17 is formed of a metal suitable for forming a conductor wiring layer as a conventional wiring board, and for example, a low resistance metal foil containing at least one of gold, silver, copper, and aluminum is preferably used. Is done. The thickness of the conductor wiring layer 17 is preferably 1 to 50 μm, and preferably 5 to 20 μm. By setting the thickness of the conductor wiring 17 to 5 to 20 μm, an electrical signal can be transmitted satisfactorily. If the thickness of the conductor wiring layer 17 is smaller than 1 μm, the resistance of the conductor wiring layer 17 is increased. If it is larger than 50 μm, the deformation of the wiring side substrate 1a is increased during lamination, or the conductor wiring layer to the wiring side substrate 1a is increased. 17 is increased, the wiring side substrate 1a is distorted, and the wiring side substrate 1a is likely to be deformed after the entire manufacturing process. In addition, since the conductor wiring layer 17 is thick, when the pattern of the conductor wiring layer 17 is formed by etching, it is difficult to perform etching, so that there is a problem that a fine circuit with high accuracy cannot be obtained. The surface of the conductor wiring layer 17 may be plated with Ni or Au.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the flow-path member of this invention is demonstrated using FIGS.

  First, a method for manufacturing the actuator 3 will be described. The manufacturing method of the actuator 3 is widely disclosed. FIG. 5 shows a manufacturing process of the multilayer piezoelectric element 3 to which the thin film technology is applied. The pre-process until firing is manufactured by a method similar to that for a multilayer ceramic capacitor. Various ceramic raw material powders are weighed and mixed with a predetermined composition, pre-fired, and an appropriate amount of an organic binder, a solvent, a plasticizer and a dispersant are added and kneaded to the obtained piezoelectric ceramic powder to prepare a slurry. As the binder, polyvinyl butyral or an acrylate binder is used. Moreover, as a solvent, organic solvents, such as toluene, are used suitably. As the plasticizer, a high-boiling organic solvent such as DOP (dioctyl phthalate) is used. Further, the dispersant is not particularly defined as long as it is commercially available. The mixing ratio of these components can be adjusted as necessary. The slurry thus produced is made into a green sheet having a thickness of 15 to 100 μm by a film forming apparatus, cut to an appropriate size, and then a metal paste for internal electrodes is printed on one side thereof, and a required number of layers are laminated, A green laminate is made by thermocompression bonding. Next, a binder removal treatment is performed at 300 to 400 ° C. for 10 to 80 hours in order to thermally decompose the organic components contained in the raw laminate. In this binder removal process, the shape retention is maintained without completely removing the binder component. Next, the ceramic laminated body is obtained by cutting the debindered raw laminated body into required dimensions and then firing at a temperature of 800 to 1500 ° C. Next, excess burrs and the like are removed from the sintered body, the dimensional accuracy is increased, the C surface is further processed, and an external electrode paste is applied to the side surface where each internal electrode layer 21 of the laminated body is exposed. As a result, the internal electrode layer 21 and the external electrode 5 are connected to form the actuator 3. In addition, conventionally well-known Ag-Pd type metal paste is used suitably for the metal paste used as the internal electrode layer 21 or the external electrode 5. FIG.

  The sheet thickness of the piezoelectric insulating layer 19 constituting the actuator 3 is preferably as thin as possible because the thickness of the entire actuator 3 can be reduced. However, since the insulating deterioration can be considered due to the coarse ceramic particles, the sheet thickness of the piezoelectric insulating layer 19 is preferably 10 μm or more. The actuator 3 is manufactured by laminating a plurality of piezoelectric insulating layers 19. The required number of laminated piezoelectric insulating layers 19 is obtained by calculating from the required displacement amount. Specifically, the displacement amount of the actuator 3 can be theoretically obtained from the piezoelectric strain coefficient D33 of the piezoelectric insulating layer 19, the thickness of the piezoelectric insulating layer 19, and the total number of layers of the piezoelectric insulating layer 19.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the conductor wiring layer 17 formed on the wiring side substrate 1a will be described.

  The transfer sheet A shown in FIG. 6A is formed by bonding a metal foil 17 to a resin film 23 via an adhesive layer 27. As the resin film 23, known ones such as polyester, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, polyphenylene sulfide, vinyl chloride, and polypropylene can be used. The thickness of the resin film 23 is suitably 10 to 500 μm, preferably 20 to 300 μm. The thickness of the resin film 23 is sufficiently flexible as long as it is in the range of 10 to 500 μm, and the transfer of the copper foil 17 can be performed without problems in the subsequent process. This is because when the thickness of the resin film 23 is smaller than 10 μm, the conductor wiring layer 17 formed by deformation or bending of the resin film 23 is likely to cause disconnection, and when the thickness is larger than 500 μm, the flexibility of the resin film 23 is lost. This is because peeling of the resin film 23 and the adhesive layer 27 becomes difficult. As the adhesive layer 27, known adhesives such as acrylic, rubber, silicone, and epoxy can be suitably used. Further, the thickness of the adhesive layer 27 is related to the adhesive force, but 1 to 20 μm is appropriate.

  The conductor wiring layer 17 is preferably made of copper foil 17 grown by plating copper, and the copper foil 17 grown by plating usually has a matte surface (rough surface) and a sanny surface (smooth surface). Can also be roughened by processing with an etching solution (for example, CZ solution from MEC Co., Ltd.), and can be physically connected to the interface by being pressed against the wiring side substrate 1a or the flow path side substrate 1b containing the resin at a high temperature. An anchor effect, which is a force, appears.

  In such a transfer sheet A, the adhesive force between the resin film 23 and the adhesive layer 27 is preferably 50 to 700 g / 20 mm, and more preferably 100 to 500 g / 20 mm. If the adhesive force between the resin film 23 and the adhesive layer 27 is 50 to 700 g / 20 mm, the copper foil is sufficiently adhered to the wiring side substrate, and an electric signal can be transmitted without any problem. If the above adhesive strength is weaker than 50 g / 20 mm, the conductor wiring layer 25 is peeled off from the resin film 23 during the etching process for forming a circuit, and the conductor wiring layer 17 is disconnected. On the other hand, if it is larger than 700 g / 20 mm, after the circuit is formed, it is transferred to the wiring-side substrate 1a, and when the resin film 23 and the adhesive layer 27 are peeled off, the wiring-side substrate 1a is deformed, the conductor wiring layer 17 is disconnected. As shown in FIG. 16, this adhesive strength is obtained when the resin film 23 is peeled from the conductor wiring layer 17 in the direction of 180 ° from the resin film 23 to which the conductor wiring layer 17 is bonded via the adhesive layer 27. It represents the stress.

  Next, unnecessary portions are removed from the conductor wiring layer 17 bonded to the resin film 23 by an etching method to form a conductor circuit. First, in the transfer sheet A of FIG. 6A, a resist 29 is formed in a conductor circuit shape on the conductor wiring layer 17 by a method such as photoresist or screen printing as shown in FIG. The conductor wiring layer 17 having a desired circuit pattern can be formed on the resin film 23 as shown in FIG.

  In this etching step, the cross-sectional shape of the conductor wiring layer 17 becomes trapezoidal with respect to the resin film 23 as shown in FIG. Next, as shown in FIG. 6D, after unnecessary portions of the conductor wiring layer 17 are removed by etching, the resist 29 is removed with a resist removing solution and washed to obtain a transfer film B with wiring. .

  Next, the manufacturing method of the wiring side board | substrate 1a of this invention is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, first, a glass substrate 33 on which unevenness having a shape opposite to the depression formed on the wiring side substrate 1a for accommodating the actuator 3 is formed by lithography or etching, and a wiring side substrate 1a are prepared. To do.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the wiring side substrate 1a is disposed between the parallel heat plates 35 so that the surface of the glass substrate 33 on which the unevenness is provided and the wiring side substrate 1a face each other. Wiring in which the depression 12 is transferred and formed on the wiring side substrate 1a by pressurizing at a temperature not lower than the glass transition temperature of 1a and not higher than the melting point, and the depression 12 is formed on the main surface as shown in FIG. The side substrate 1a is produced.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8A, a through hole 15a communicating with the recess 12 is formed using a laser beam such as a micro drill or a carbonic acid laser. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, an B-stage epoxy actuator adhesive sheet 7 is attached to the bottom surface of the recess 12 so as not to block the through hole 15a.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9A, the actuator 3 is inserted into the recess 12, and the actuator 3 is fixed to the wiring side substrate 1a via the actuator adhesive sheet 7 as shown in FIG. 9B.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10A, the mask sheet 31 is attached to the entire portion other than the actuator 3. Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, a diluted solution such as silicone rubber or acrylonitrile rubber having a low elastic modulus is applied so as to cover the actuator 3 and dried to form a thin film piezoelectric element protective layer 9. . Further, as shown in FIG. 10C, the unnecessary piezoelectric element protective layer 9 is removed by peeling off the mask sheet 31.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11, a conductive paste is embedded in the through hole 15 a to form the through conductor 15.

  Next, a manufacturing method of the flow path side substrate 1b will be described.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the flow path side substrate 1b has a flow path 11 formed on at least one main surface of the flow path side substrate 1b, and a part thereof is wide. The flow rate adjusting unit 4 is provided. It is desirable that the flow rate adjusting unit 4 be large enough to accommodate the actuator 3. As described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7C, the flow path side substrate 1b having such a structure can be easily manufactured by using an imprint method or a nanoimprint method. Further, the flow path side substrate 1b may be mechanically cut directly using a micro drill, or the flow path side substrate 1b may be directly processed using a laser beam.

  Then, the flow path side substrate 1b, the wiring side substrate 1a, and the transfer film with wiring B described above are sequentially aligned and laminated as shown in FIG. This process has a function of hardening the actuator adhesive sheet 7 for fixing the actuator 3, a function of transferring the conductor wiring layer 17, and a function of collectively laminating the wiring side substrate 1a and the flow path side substrate 1b. As a condition for establishing the three functions, it is important to heat at a temperature equal to or higher than Tg of the wiring side substrate 1a and the flow path side substrate 1b. Other conditions can be controlled arbitrarily.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 13B, the flow path member of the present invention can be manufactured by peeling the resin film 23 and the adhesive 27. The cross section of the flow path member shown in FIG. 13B is a cross section perpendicular to the flow direction of the flow path 11, and is parallel to the flow direction of the flow path 11 shown in FIG. In the cross section in the direction, it is a cross section at a position where the actuator 3 where the flow path 11 becomes narrow is provided.

  The shape of the flow rate adjusting unit 4 provided with the actuator 3 may be a shape as shown in FIG. 12A, but as shown in FIG. By forming the channel 11 so that the width of the channel 11 gradually increases at the connecting portion to the channel 11, the fluid can be prevented from staying in the channel 11. Further, as shown in FIG. 14B, the distance between the bottom surface of the flow rate adjusting unit 4 and the actuator 3 can be reduced by forming the bottom surface of the flow rate adjusting unit 4 higher than the flow path 11. Even when the amount of displacement of the actuator 3 is small, the ability to adjust the flow rate can be increased.

  In the example described above, the process of forming one actuator 3 is shown. However, a plurality of actuators 3 may be mounted, and the structure and number of the flow paths 11 can be arbitrarily designed.

  When the insulating substrate 1 is formed of ceramic, the flow path side substrate 1b and the wiring side substrate 1a are made of a ceramic substrate, and the flow path 11 is formed of a laser beam or a micro drill, for example, the flow path side substrate 1b. The flow path member can be produced by bonding the wiring side substrate 1a and the wiring side substrate 1a with an adhesive such as low melting point glass, brazing material, or resin adhesive.

  The recess 12 and the through hole 15a for housing the actuator 3 are preferably formed at the stage of the molded body before firing the flow path side substrate 1b and the wiring side substrate 1a.

  Moreover, when the material of the board | substrate 1 is a thermosetting resin or a ceramic, as the adhesion method of the board | substrates of the wiring side board | substrate 1a and the flow path side board | substrate 1b, the method of putting an adhesive sheet between board | substrates and hardening can also be taken. In this case, for example, the portion of the actuator protective layer 9 formed in FIG. 10 that does not cover the actuator 3 can be used as an adhesive layer without being removed. The conductor wiring layer 17 can also be produced by using metallization using copper tungsten paste, electrolysis, or electroless plating.

  Further, the flow rate can be controlled more accurately by connecting the flow rate measuring device to the flow path member of the present invention via the connecting member. Also, for example, by incorporating a microcoil in the flow path member and incorporating a flow rate measuring device using Fleming's left-hand rule, even in the case of the flow path 11 that branches and merges in a complicated manner, it is possible to accurately The flow rate can be controlled.

  3 μm of an adhesive 27 made of an acrylic resin is applied to the surface of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film 23 having a thickness of 100 μm, and a copper foil having a thickness of 12 μm and a surface roughness of 0.8 μm is adhered to the adhesive 27. did. The transfer film A was subjected to a photo process and an etching process using a predetermined wiring forming mask and DFR (dry film resist) to obtain a resin film B with wiring.

  As the wiring side substrate 1a, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) having a thickness of 1 mm was used. First, in order to form the recess 12 in the wiring side substrate 1a made of PMMA, a concavo-convex structure is formed on the glass substrate 33 using conventional lithography and etching techniques, and the wiring side substrate 1a made of PMMA having a flat thickness of 1 mm. Next, the surface of the glass substrate 33 having a concavo-convex structure is brought into contact with the glass substrate 33 by pressing the glass substrate 33 against the wiring side substrate 1a using a hot press at 160 ° C. and 3 MPa for 5 minutes. The depressions and projections were transferred to the wiring side substrate 1a made of PMMA to form the depressions 12. The size of the recess 12 is designed in consideration of the size and flow rate of the actuator 3, and is 0.68 mm square and the depth is 0.55 mm.

  Next, a through hole 15a having a hole diameter of 200 μm was formed in the wiring side substrate 1a using a micro drill.

Next, a Kyocera Chemical bonding sheet TFA-880C having a thickness of 100 μm was attached to the bottom surface of the recess 12 as the actuator adhesive sheet 7 to mount the actuator 3. The actuator 3 uses lead magnesium niobate Pb (Mg _1/3 Nb _2/3 ) O ₃ (PZN) as the piezoelectric insulating layer 19, and is formed by stacking 32 15 μm piezoelectric insulating layers 19 (including electrode layers). .6 mm square and 0.5 mm thickness were used. The piezoelectric strain constant D33 of this actuator 3 was 2 × 10 ⁻⁹ m / V.

  Next, a PET film 23 having a thickness of 24 μm manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. was attached to a portion other than the actuator 3 as shown in FIG.

  Next, 10% by mass of NBR (acrylonitrile rubber) manufactured by Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd. is diluted in toluene, applied to the entire surface of the wiring side substrate 1a where the actuator 3 is formed, and dried to form an NBR film having a thickness of about 5 μm. Produced.

  Next, the masking adhesive PET film was peeled off together with the NBR film to leave the NBR film only around the actuator 3. NBR is flexible, can sufficiently follow the displacement of the actuator 3, and can sufficiently exhibit the function of protecting the actuator 3. In addition, the gap between the recess 12 and the actuator 3 was filled with the NBR film as the piezoelectric element protection layer 9 to completely cover and protect the actuator 3.

  Next, the through hole 15a formed by the micro drill was filled with a conductive paste composed of a conductive metal and a thermosetting resin, thereby forming the through conductor 15.

  The conductive paste is 10 parts of bisphenol A type epoxy resin (Opika Shell Epoxy Co., Ltd .: Epicoat 828), 100 parts of silver coated body powder with an average particle size of 5 μm, and acid anhydride (Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd .: Kayahard MCD). 3 parts were prepared by blending 0.3 part of imidazole (manufactured by Shikoku Chemicals Co., Ltd .: Curesol 2EMZ) as a curing accelerator.

  Next, a manufacturing method of the flow path side substrate 1b will be described.

  As the flow path side substrate 1b, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) having a thickness of 500 μm was used. First, in order to form the flow path 11 on the flow path side substrate 1b made of PMMA, first, a concavo-convex structure is formed on the glass substrate 33 using conventional lithography and etching techniques, and the flow path side made of PMMA having a flat thickness of 500 μm. The surface of the glass substrate 33 having the concavo-convex structure is brought into contact with the substrate 1b, and the glass substrate 33 is pressed onto the flow path side substrate 1b by using a hot press at 160 ° C., 3 MPa for 5 minutes for processing. Were transferred to the flow path side substrate 1b made of PMMA to form the flow path 11.

  Specific shapes for adjusting the flow rate this time are shown in FIGS. The flow path 11 has a depth h1 of 100 μm, a width W1 of 200 μm, a depth h2 of the flow rate adjusting unit 4 when the actuator 3 is not displaced, 33 μm, a width W2 of 750 μm, and a length L1 of 750 μm. In the flow rate adjusting unit 4, the bottom surface was made 12 μm higher than the flow path 11.

  Next, the resin film B with wiring, the wiring side substrate 1a, and the flow path side substrate 1b are aligned, and subjected to heat treatment at 170 ° C. and 3 MPa for 60 minutes by hot pressing, so that the conductor wiring is applied to the wiring side substrate 1a made of PMMA. Layer 3 was embedded. Thereafter, the resin film 23 made of PET and the adhesive 27 were peeled off simultaneously to form a flow path substrate.

  FIG. 15A shows the amount of displacement in the released state of the actuator 3 used, and FIG. 15B shows the flow rate change when pure water at 25 ° C. is used as the fluid. According to FIG. 15A, the actuator 3 is displaced 20 μm by applying 200 V, and the distance h2 between the actuator 3 and the bottom surface of the flow rate adjusting unit 4 is changed from 33 μm to 13 μm, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the flow rate could be reduced to about 60%.

  The displacement amount of the actuator 3 is a value measured by the actuator 3 alone before manufacturing the wiring board. Such a displacement torque of the actuator 3 is very large, and even when incorporated in the wiring board of the present invention, the displacement is almost the same as in the released state. The flow rate change was measured as a flow channel device by connecting a flow meter to the wiring board via a connecting member.

  In the measurement, a pump was connected to the flow path member via a coupler to obtain a flow path device. In this flow path device, the flow path member absorbed the pulsation of the pump, and the fluid could flow smoothly without pulsation.

  FIG. 17 shows a flow channel device of the present invention constituted by a pump 35 and a flow rate measuring device 37 connected to the flow channel member 31 of the present invention by a connecting member 33 such as a tube. The connecting member 33 includes, for example, a tube 33b provided with connecting jigs 33a at both ends. One connecting jig 33a is connected to a fluid discharge port of the pump, and the other connecting jig 33a is a flow path member 31. Is connected to the end of the fluid flow path 11 on the fluid inflow side. Then, the fluid is introduced from the pump 35 through the connecting member 31 into the flow path 11 from the end portion on the fluid inflow side of the flow path member 31, passes through the flow path 11, and is discharged from the fluid discharge side of the flow path member 31. It is discharged from the end. Then, another connecting member 33 is connected to the end of the flow path member 31 on the fluid discharge side, and the fluid discharged from the end of the flow path member 31 on the fluid discharge side passes through the other connecting member 33. Then, it is introduced into the flow rate measuring device 37 connected to the other connecting member 33. The flow rate of the fluid is measured by the flow rate measuring device 37.

  The flow rate measuring device 37 can drive the actuator 3 built in the flow rate member 31 based on the measured flow rate, thereby controlling the flow rate precisely and quickly.

  For example, a highly reliable diaphragm pump 35 is preferably used as the pump 35. When the fluid is gas, the pump 35 may use, for example, a pressure-feed type gas tank. The flow rate measuring device 37 is preferably capable of measuring a change in flow rate over time.

  The flow channel member and flow channel device of the present invention are suitably used as a small flow rate regulator, blood test device, small reaction device, and small mixing device, particularly for mixing, reaction, testing, etc. of a small amount of fluid. Moreover, the utilization method of incorporating in a portable apparatus is mentioned.

It is sectional drawing which shows the flow-path member of this invention. (A) is sectional drawing of an actuator, (b) is a top view explaining the wiring structure of an actuator, (c) is a perspective view which shows the displacement direction of an actuator. It is a schematic diagram of the flow path formed in the flow path member of the present invention. It is a permeation | transmission perspective view explaining the shape of the flow path of this invention. It is a process flow which shows the preparation process of this invention. It is process drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the flow-path member of this invention. It is process drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the flow-path member of this invention. It is process drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the flow-path member of this invention. It is process drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the flow-path member of this invention. It is process drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the flow-path member of this invention. It is process drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the flow-path member of this invention. It is process drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the flow-path member of this invention. It is process drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the flow-path member of this invention. It is a principal part enlarged view explaining the flow volume adjustment part of the flow-path member of this invention. (A) is the relationship figure of the applied voltage and displacement amount of the actuator used for the flow path member of the present invention, (b) is the relational diagram of the voltage applied to the actuator of the flow path member of the present invention and the flow rate change rate. is there. It is a schematic diagram which shows the measuring method of the adhesive force of the resin film and adhesive layer in a transfer sheet. It is a schematic diagram explaining the flow-path apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Insulation board | substrate 1a ... Wiring side board | substrate 1b ... Flow path side board | substrate 3 ... Actuator 9 ... Piezoelectric element protective layer 11 ... Flow path 31 ... Flow path apparatus 33 ... Connecting member 35 ... pump 37 ... flow rate measuring device

Claims (12)

A flow path comprising: an insulating substrate; a flow path built in the insulating substrate; and an actuator that increases or decreases a flow rate by changing the shape of the flow path by an electrostrictive action of a piezoelectric element. Element. The flow path member according to claim 1, wherein an actuator is disposed on a wall surface of the flow path. The flow path member according to claim 1, wherein a piezoelectric element protective layer is provided between the flow path and the piezoelectric element. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of flow paths through which different fluids are circulated, and a mixing field in which the plurality of flow paths merge to mix the different fluids. The flow path member according to 1. 5. The flow path member according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of flow paths is provided with an actuator that increases or decreases a flow rate by changing a shape of the flow path. The flow path member according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of actuators are arranged so as to sandwich the flow path. The flow path member according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the insulating substrate contains at least a resin. The flow path member according to claim 7, wherein the resin constituting the insulating substrate is a thermoplastic resin. The flow path member according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the insulating substrate is mainly composed of ceramics. The flow path member according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the wiring circuit is made of a low-resistance metal containing at least one of gold, silver, copper, and aluminum. 11. A flow path device comprising a flow path member according to claim 1 and a pump connected to the flow path member via a connecting member. A flow channel device comprising a flow rate measuring device connected to the flow channel member according to claim 1 via a connecting member.

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