WO2018082802A1 - Dispositif élecrofluidique et procédé de fabrication et de fonctionnement associé - Google Patents

Dispositif élecrofluidique et procédé de fabrication et de fonctionnement associé Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2018082802A1
WO2018082802A1 PCT/EP2017/001255 EP2017001255W WO2018082802A1 WO 2018082802 A1 WO2018082802 A1 WO 2018082802A1 EP 2017001255 W EP2017001255 W EP 2017001255W WO 2018082802 A1 WO2018082802 A1 WO 2018082802A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
housing
electrode
interior
liquid
carrier substrate
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2017/001255
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German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Stefan Schuladen
Daniel Kopp
Hans Zappe
Original Assignee
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg filed Critical Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Publication of WO2018082802A1 publication Critical patent/WO2018082802A1/fr

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B26/00—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements
    • G02B26/004—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid
    • G02B26/005—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid based on electrowetting

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an electrofluidic device having a housing which forms an interior sealed to the outside, wherein at least one electrically aktable liquid from the interior is accommodated, and at least one electrode with which an electric field can be generated, which with the interacts with at least one liquid and thus actuates them.
  • the invention further relates to a method for producing an electrofluidic device and an associated method for operating such a device.
  • Electrofluidic devices as mentioned in the prior art are used, for example, in optofluidic systems, such as tunable fluidic lenses, diaphragms, in particular irises or shutters, mirrors, prisms, displays or routers, but also in microfluidic systems, for example lab-on-a-chip Systems used. Electrofluidic devices can be characterized by actuating a liquid by means of an electric field generated by an electrode or by charges provided by the electrode.
  • to actuate can mean that due to the action of the electric field, physical properties of the liquid (refractive index, polarization, transmission / absorption of radiation, etc.) are changed, which can be understood as static actuation, or in that a liquid volume in Its shape can be changed and / or moved, which can be called a dynamic actuation, in addition to electro-optical and electrodynamic effects
  • CONFIRMATION COPY the actuation also affect electroacoustic effects.
  • the latter are used, for example, in the field of ico-fluidics for pumps, mixers, or for surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) actuators or in optics for tunable lenses.
  • SAW surface-acoustic-wave
  • a major challenge is to provide a package that shields the fluids used from the outside world and effectively prevents leakage of the liquids (in particular by diffusion over extended periods of time) from an interior space formed by the housing.
  • the tightness of the housing must typically be ensured over a temperature range of more than 100 Kelvin.
  • the reliability requirements of the housing are so high that they can only be achieved by hermetically designing it.
  • a hermetic enclosure may be understood herein to mean a housing that meets typical industry standards for hermetic tightness of the enclosure, such as MIL-STD-883 or MIL-STD-750. Due to the comparatively large thermal expansion of the liquids in the event of temperature fluctuations, a high pressure can build up in the interior of the electrofluidic device. This is often a problem for the reliability of the housing, since the internal pressure can lead to the formation of cracks in the housing. Electro-actuation of a fluid by electrowetting-on-dielectrics (EWOD) or by dielectrophoresis (DEP) is widely used in electro-fluidic devices. Especially in opto-fluidic devices this often two immiscible liquids are arranged in an interior of a housing. The geometry of the liquid interface between the two fluids is manipulated by specially shaped actuation electrodes, which can be used for a variety of optical functions (lenses, mirrors, prisms, apertures, optical switches, etc.).
  • EWOD electro
  • the actuation electrodes are typically placed in a liquid-receiving interior of the device, the electrodes often being electrically isolated from the liquid by thin dielectric coatings.
  • the electrodes are often produced in the form of thin-film electrodes on planar substrates, typically using processes of ic system technology such as film deposition and structuring via etching or lift-off.
  • electrofluidic devices often comprise hydrophobic polymers which do not survive the typically required for a hermetic encapsulation temperatures of more than 400 ° C. Manufacturing processes with a locally focused heat input, for example laser welding, are ruled out in the case of inplane contacting alone because the welding process would destroy the thin contacts.
  • the invention is therefore based on the object to enable a long-term stable encapsulation of liquids in a housing of an electro-fluidic device, wherein at least one liquid is to be actuated in the interior of the housing by means of an electrode.
  • a further object of the invention is to provide an associated method of manufacturing such a device which avoids the disadvantages known from the prior art.
  • the reliability of an electro-fluidic device is to be increased by comparatively simple and cost-effective measures so far that this typical product requirement, in particular in the consumer sector, is justified.
  • the features of claim 1 are provided according to the invention in an electrofluidic device.
  • the at least one electrode is arranged on an outer side of a housing section facing away from the interior for this purpose.
  • the electric field generated by the electrode interacts with the liquid through the housing portion.
  • the housing section is dimensionally stable. Because of this, the housing section can take over both the electrical function of a dielectric and the mechanical function of a housing. The dimensional stability can thus in particular be such that the housing section carries the at least one electrode, in particular during the production of the device.
  • a sealing connecting seam which will be described in more detail, can be configured on a side of the housing section facing the interior. Since no more electrical lines must be performed in the interior, this seam can be configured free of electrical feedthroughs.
  • the at least one electrode is separated from the interior by a, preferably electrically insulating, housing section on which the electrode has been deposited or structured.
  • the housing section can support the electrode, in particular during the manufacturing process. Process, carry, which greatly simplifies the production.
  • the at least one electrode can in particular be irreversibly connected to the housing section.
  • the housing section can serve as electrical insulation between the at least one electrode and the liquid in the interior. This makes it possible in particular to dispense with previously customary dielectric thin-film depositions on the electrodes in order to electrically isolate them from the electrical fluid.
  • the housing section serves as a (high-breakdown-resistant) dielectric between the at least one electrode and the liquid in the interior.
  • the at least one electrode can thus be arranged in particular on an outer side of the housing.
  • the outer side in the sense of the invention can be understood in particular as the side which faces away from the interior.
  • An electrode according to the invention can thus not be separated from the liquid to be actuated merely by a coating, as is conventional in the prior art, but by a housing section which preferably has a rest shape, in particular non-conductive, wherein the housing section closes the interior space to the outside.
  • the at least one electrode can thus be regarded as an outer electrode, in particular with respect to the interior.
  • an electrode can be understood as any device by means of which an electric field can be coupled into the interior of the device, ie in particular thin-film electrodes, but also conductive solid bodies such as metal parts.
  • An electrofluidic device with the features of claim 1 offers in comparison to the prior art known electro-fluidic devices have the advantage that largely or even completely can be dispensed with electrical feedthroughs through the housing and yet an electrical actuation of the liquid is possible.
  • a hermetic configuration of the housing arranged between the electrode and the interior is considerably simplified by the arrangement of the electrode outside the interior, as will be explained in more detail below.
  • the electrofluidic device with the features of claim 1 is formed with a hermetically sealed housing. This makes it possible, for example, to comply with the MIL-STD-883 or MIL-STD-750 standards mentioned at the outset, which substantially extends the possible uses of the electrofluidic device.
  • the at least one electrode is electrically insulated on the outside by a coating or the like.
  • the features of the second independent claim on an electrofluidic device are provided as an alternative or in addition.
  • the at least one electrode and at least one electrical contact in the interior are arranged, wherein the at least one electrode and the at least one electrical contact in each case by means of an electrically conductive via and formed in an electrically insulating material are electrically contacted from outside the inner space.
  • the least at least one electrical contact in particular supply a further arranged in the interior electrode with current and / or voltage, so that with this the at least one liquid can be actuated.
  • the invention proposes the use of such vias for electro-fluidic devices.
  • an excellent sealing of the interior can be achieved, wherein at the same time an actuation of the liquid, as described above, is made possible.
  • the invention therefore proposes, in particular, to use electrically insulating substrates, in particular glass substrates, with conductive, preferably hermetic, configured vias, in order to provide at least one electrical contact in the interior. lead the electro-fluidic device.
  • the housing has an electrically insulating housing section which delimits the interior space.
  • the electrically insulating housing section can be designed in particular in the form of a carrier substrate, for example produced from a wafer.
  • the at least one electrode can be arranged in particular on an outer side of the housing section or of the carrier substrate. Even in such embodiments, it is preferred for ease of manufacture, if the at least one electrode was deposited or patterned on an outer side facing away from the interior of the housing portion.
  • a carrier substrate can be understood to mean any shape-stable body on or in which electrical lines and / or electrodes can be deposited and / or structured. In particular, such a carrier substrate may be an electrical insulator.
  • the housing section in particular the carrier substrate, is planar and / or formed from a dielectric material.
  • the housing section or the carrier substrate can therefore serve according to the invention as a dielectric.
  • a carrier substrate has the further decisive advantage that it can be manufactured from wafers using microsystem technology processes, so that a multiplicity of electrodes having microscopic dimensions can be patterned on the substrate by means of photolithography.
  • the carrier substrate can be characterized in such a way that it carries the at least one liquid on the inside and the at least one electrode on the outside.
  • the liquid may in particular be in direct or indirect contact with the inside of the carrier substrate, wherein the carrier substrate may have additional coatings both on the inside and on the outside.
  • the electrofluidic device has a dimensionally stable frame on which the electrically insulating housing section, that is in particular the carrier substrate, is clamped.
  • This configuration makes it possible to design the housing section or the carrier substrate to be very thin and, in particular, flexible, since the frame provides the necessary stability and, in particular, can absorb forces which, in the event of a warping of the Carrier substrate occur.
  • the frame has a circular opening, via which the electrically insulating housing section, ie in particular the carrier substrate, is clamped. Because such a circular geometry of the frame opening results in an at least approximately spherical deformation of the housing portion in pressure fluctuations. If the housing section is designed, for example, as a transparent carrier substrate, then the optical effect caused by the deformation can be easily compensated for by means of an upstream or downstream focusing unit. According to the invention, it is of great advantage for the formation of a hermetic encapsulation of the liquids if the device has a sealing connecting seam which describes a closed line. Preferably, this seam is designed free of electrical feedthroughs. By means of these embodiments it can be achieved that the interior of the device and the liquids contained in it are hermetically sealed from the outside world in a single final production step, which forms the self-contained connecting seam.
  • the device preferably has an annular interface in which the sealing connecting seam is formed.
  • annular and particularly preferably homogeneous configuration of the interface By the self-contained, preferably annular and particularly preferably homogeneous configuration of the interface, a hermetic encapsulation of the interior can be achieved, in particular by connection to an interface of a housing part, which in turn hermetically seals to the outside.
  • the connection of the interfaces can be produced by means of various methods, as will be explained in more detail.
  • An embodiment of the invention that is particularly easy to manufacture provides for the housing section or the housing section bearing the outside of the at least one electrode, that is to say in particular one or the carrier substrate, to be produced from a thin glass. For optical applications, the use of glass substrates as carrier substrates for electrodes is widespread.
  • a carrier substrate made of a thin glass can be used in particular as a dielectric with high dielectric strength.
  • thin glass unlike conventional polymers, typically has far fewer defects.
  • a field generated by the at least one electrode can interact with the at least one liquid even when high voltages are used, without resulting in an electrical breakdown.
  • the housing section or the carrier substrate at least in the region of at least one electrode has a thickness of less than 100 pm, preferably less than 50 pm, more preferably less than 30 ⁇ .
  • This embodiment is particularly advantageous if the liquid is to be actuated in the interior by means of EWOD or DEP.
  • EWOD or DEP For such a thin design of the carrier substrate leads to a sufficient for such Aktuleitersmechanismen electrical capacity of the carrier substrate.
  • the electrical voltage available for actuation is often limited to 200V or less, often requiring a minimum capacitance per area for successful actuation.
  • the invention has thus recognized that thin glass, as it is already used in the prior art with thicknesses down to 25 pm, for example, for touch displays, such a minimum capacity per area allows.
  • a further possibility according to the invention for increasing the electrical capacitance is the use of ceramic materials with high permittivity for the carrier substrate.
  • glass substrates as a carrier substrate is particularly preferred for optofluidic devices in which there is often the desire to guide an optical path through a housing section.
  • the at least one electrode lies in an optical path and / or is designed to be transparent.
  • an optical path extends through the housing section carrying the electrode on the outside, in particular the carrier substrate and / or the at least one liquid.
  • a preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the housing has a housing part with which the or at least one electrode on the outside bearing housing portion is connected by an interface.
  • the interface describes a closed line and / or is designed to be free of electrical feedthroughs.
  • the at least one electrode on the outside bearing housing portion may be formed in particular by one or the carrier substrate.
  • both the housing section or the housing section supporting the outside at least one electrode, in particular the carrier substrate, and the housing part are formed homogeneously in the region of the interface.
  • Homogeneous can be understood that the carrier substrate and the housing part, at least in the region of the interface, are each made of a material.
  • the advantage here is that high-density connections can be produced particularly easily with established, well-established connection techniques such as bonding or welding, in particular laser welding, since a single set of process parameters and / or a single, homogeneous, imparting connection layer is sufficient to seal outward To ensure connection of the housing section with the housing part.
  • the or at least one electrode on the outside bearing housing portion, in particular the carrier substrate, in at least one region, in particular in the area of the previously discussed interface is designed to be transparent.
  • This embodiment makes it possible to transport energy by means of radiation through the housing section or the carrier substrate, in particular into the interface. This energy may enable or assist the formation of a hermetic connection.
  • Another advantage is that the quality of a connecting seam formed inside the housing can be examined optically, which is particularly important for process development and control is advantageous.
  • a housing portion in particular the or at least one electrode on the outside bearing housing portion, preferably the carrier substrate, is designed to be flexible.
  • the housing section or the carrier substrate can be designed such that it is suitable for compensating a relative pressure between the interior and the outside world.
  • the use of particularly thin substrates here has the advantage that with decreasing thickness of the substrate whose rigidity decreases disproportionately.
  • an overall rigid housing can be formed, which nevertheless can compensate for fluctuations in the relative pressure between the inside and outside by warping of the housing section or of the carrier substrate.
  • high reliability of the electro-fluidic device can be ensured. It is particularly advantageous if in this case an inventive frame, as already described above, is used.
  • the interior has an air reservoir.
  • volume expansion of the liquids can be partially absorbed by compression of the air in the air reservoir, so that the thermo-mechanical stress on the housing can be reduced.
  • At least one liquid in the interior is contacted directly electrically, that is, for example, by an ohmic contact.
  • at least one electrical contact by means of the housing in particular by means of a housing part or another housing section, is guided in the interior.
  • an electrically conductive bushing may be provided which provides the inside contact.
  • At least one electrical contact can be guided into the interior space by means of the housing section or the housing section carrying the outside of the at least one electrode, in particular by means of the carrier substrate. If the carrier substrate is designed to be electrically insulating, this can be done in particular by means of one or more conductive vias, as already described above.
  • the at least one liquid which is actuated by the electrode arranged outside the inner space is contacted by the at least one electrical contact. Because of this, the at least one liquid can be set to a predetermined potential, for example mass, which enables efficient actuation. Such an embodiment can also be advantageous for applications in which charges in the region of the electric field generated by the electrode are to be induced in the liquid, since the charges can flow quickly via the electrical contact, in particular in the case of devices which operate with alternating voltage become. To achieve the above object, the features of the independent method claim are provided according to the invention.
  • an nem multi-part housing proposed that an interior formed by the housing is filled with at least one electrically aktuierbaren liquid and that the interior is subsequently sealed by local introduction of energy into an interface of the housing to the outside.
  • the tight closure can take place in that a sealing connecting seam is created in the interface, which describes a closed line and which is designed to be free of electrical feedthroughs. According to the invention, therefore, the liquid is already in the interior of the device during the introduction of energy into the interface.
  • the advantage here is that the process can be carried out at room temperature, so in particular no ovens or the like, as they are used for example in diffusion processes, are necessary. This helps to reduce the forces acting on the device thermomechanical stress that occurs when dense ⁇ From the interior because of the thermal expansion of liquids to a minimum.
  • thermo-mechanical stress By local introduction of energy, for example by means of a laser, a large-scale heating of the interface can be avoided. This also helps to limit the thermo-mechanical stress.
  • an electrofluidic device can be formed hermetically sealed, at the same time an electrical actuation of the liquid is made possible in the interior.
  • Decisive for this is the inventive introduction of the liquid before encapsulating the same, which can be dispensed with supply lines and ventilation channels and a complex filling of the device.
  • the continuous shaping of the connecting seam, free from them intersecting electrical feedthroughs, is for a particularly dense configuration of the connecting seam and thus the entire housing of central importance. It should be noted that a housing can always be only as tight as the least dense portion of the housing, which typically corresponds in electrofluidic devices of the last performed connection of two parts of the housing.
  • the limitation of the introduced energy to a locally narrowly limited area or a narrowly limited volume is advantageous because it allows the heat input into the interior of the device can be limited. This prevents thermo-mechanical stresses in the housing which, due to the high thermal expansion of the liquids, can occur if the heat input is too high.
  • the introduction of energy into the interface can be effected, for example, by means of ultrasound directed in particular by means of local, in particular resistive, heating, for example by using locally applied resistors as heating elements, by means of a heating stamp, or by irradiation.
  • both glass solders and metallic solders can be used as a connecting layer, which mediates the connection of the two housing parts at the interface.
  • At least one electrode is formed outside the inner space, in or on the housing.
  • the at least one electrode can be formed, for example, on a carrier substrate belonging to the housing or on or on or in a housing. cut. According to the invention, the formation of the electrode can take place before or after the completion of the interior.
  • the at least one electrode need not necessarily be formed in or on the housing. Rather, according to the invention, the electrode may, for example, also be formed on the surface of a substrate which is separate from the housing of the device. In this case, for the operation of the electro-fluidic device, it suffices if the housing is brought into contact with or at least in the vicinity of the electrode, so that an electric field generated by the electrode can enter the internal space to interact with the liquid.
  • This approach is of interest, for example, for microfluidic applications in which one or more predetermined arrangements of actuation electrodes are to be used on a substrate having a plurality of exchangeable housings according to the invention in the sense of an electrofluidic device according to the invention. This approach also allows a sandwich construction of the device, as will be described in more detail with reference to the figures.
  • a housing section carrying the at least one electrode, in particular a carrier substrate to be connected by local introduction of energy into an interface with a housing part of the housing.
  • a sealing seam can be created in the interface, which describes a closed line and which is designed free of electrical feedthroughs.
  • the housing part is formed in the region of the interface of silicon.
  • a carrier substrate made of thin glass, for example by means of laser welding.
  • connection of the housing section carrying the electrode, in particular of the carrier substrate, to the housing part can take place, in particular, before the introduction of the at least one liquid into the interior.
  • the connection between the housing section or carrier substrate and the housing part can take place by processes in which energy is introduced globally, for example bonding or comparable high-temperature processes, since the liquid is introduced into the interior only subsequently.
  • the final encapsulation of the liquid can then take place in a subsequent manufacturing step.
  • An inventively preferred manufacturing method provides that the energy is introduced by means of a laser beam locally into the interface.
  • the or a connecting seam is designed as a weld seam.
  • Laser welding as a production technique is preferred in accordance with the invention, since in this way the local heat input can be very well controlled and limited so that the liquid in the interior only heats up negligibly.
  • hermetic connections as described in the introduction can be created, the highest requirements for tightness, even with typical required temperature fluctuations. ken of 100 Kelvin and more (for example, from -40 ° C to + 80 ° C), suffice.
  • the use of a laser beam has the particular advantage that it can be focused on an interface of the housing, so that a high density and reliable weld can be achieved with minimal expansion, which may be advantageous for a compact design of the device.
  • the interior can be sealed in a final manufacturing step by means of a laser welding process to the outside so tight, preferably by means of a closed line descriptive weld.
  • the weld seam preferably extends in a contact surface without an interface which is formed without contact.
  • the electrofluidic device may be immersed or remain in a second liquid during the laser process.
  • Hiebei can in particular the second liquid to fill the interior of the device partially.
  • the second liquid can serve as ambient liquid to the electrically actuable liquid in the interior.
  • An advantage of this special method that a bubble-free closing of the interior is facilitated.
  • the second liquid can dissipate heat from the outside of the device during the welding and thus further reduce the heat input into the interior of the device.
  • an electrofluidic device in particular as described above and / or according to one of the claims directed to an electrofluidic device, be used such that an electrically actuable liquid is arranged in a housing formed and sealed by a housing and actuated with at least one electrode disposed outside the interior through the housing.
  • an electric field generated by the electrode it is preferable for an electric field generated by the electrode to interact with the at least one liquid through the housing and to actuate it.
  • a hermetically sealed liquid can be reliably and efficiently electrically actuated, and thus a long-term stable operation of the electro-fluidic device can be ensured. It is particularly preferred if the field passes through a housing section on which the electrode has been deposited or patterned. Because this facilitates on the one hand the production of a device required for the application of the method. On the other hand, it is possible to benefit in operation from the excellent electrical breakdown strength that such a housing section offers.
  • Fig. 2 shows an inventive use of conductive
  • FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view through an inventive electrofluidic device with actuation electrodes outside a two-fluid receiving interior
  • FIG. 4 shows an illustration of the use according to the invention of a flexible housing section for the compensation of thermally induced pressure fluctuations
  • FIG. 5 is a plan view of an electro-fluidic device according to the invention.
  • FIG. 6 shows three parts of a housing before being connected to a device according to the invention
  • FIG. 7 shows an illustration of the connection of an inventive corresponding carrier substrate with a housing part by means of laser welding, exne illustration of the closing of an interior of a device according to the invention by means of laser welding,
  • Fig.10 three parts of a housing and a substrate with
  • FIG. 11 shows an illustration of the connection of a carrier substrate according to the invention to a housing part by means of laser welding
  • FIG. 15 shows an illustration of the connection of a housing section according to the invention to a housing part by means of laser welding
  • FIG. 16 shows an illustration of the closing of an interior of a device according to the invention by means of laser welding
  • 1 shows a device according to the invention as a result of the manufacturing steps of FIGS. 14 to 16
  • FIG. 1 shows an optofluidic iris diaphragm known from the prior art as an example of an electrofluidic device 1.
  • This has a housing 2, which is formed by two glass substrates 12 and an intermediate silicon spacer.
  • the interior 3 formed by the housing 2 there are two immiscible liquids 4 and 16. While the opaque liquid 4 is electrically actuatable bar, the transparent liquid 16 is electrically non-conductive.
  • a hydrophobic coating 17 structured on the inside of the lower glass substrate 12, the first, opaque liquid 4 is forced into a ring shape (see also FIG. 5).
  • the second liquid 16 fills the remaining interior 3 completely and therefore serves as ambient liquid.
  • the transparent liquid 16 therefore moves only passively due to an electrically actuated movement of the liquid 4.
  • electrostatic forces can be exerted on the liquid 4 by means of a plurality of concentric electrodes 5 (see FIG. 5) applied to the inside of the lower glass substrate 12 so that it spreads concentrically inwards.
  • the fluidic ring formed by the liquid 4 can thus contract due to the actuation and thereby forms the optical aperture of a tunable iris diaphragm.
  • the electric fields which are generated by the individual actuation electrodes 5 thus interact with the electrically activatable liquid 4 through the hydrophobic coating 17.
  • the actuation electrodes 5 are by means of an additional dielectric layer 22 of the liquids electrically isolated, except for the outermost electrode, which makes a direct electrical contact with the liquid 4.
  • the actuation electrodes 5 are thus arranged in the inner space, which is delimited by the housing 2, that is to say in particular by the lower glass substrate 12.
  • a plurality of electrical feedthroughs 15 are formed which extend from an outer side of the housing 2 into the inner space 3. These feedthroughs can be characterized by piercing the housing 2.
  • the feedthrough 15 shown in the cross-sectional view in FIG. 1 supplies the electrically actuatable liquid 4 with an electrical potential.
  • the feedthrough 15 shown in FIG. 1 is designed as so-called in-plane contacting, because it runs along an interface 8 between the lower glass substrate 12 and the silicon spacer designated by 13.
  • FIG. 2 shows a first electrofluidic device 1 according to the invention, in which the design of in-plane contacts 15 has been dispensed with. Instead, the electrodes 5 arranged in the interior space 3 are supplied with electrical voltage by vias configured according to the invention.
  • the vias are configured in the form of metallic pins, which are incorporated in the lower glass substrate 12. In contrast to in-plane contacts, the vias thus do not run along an interface between two parts of the housing 2, but pierce a housing section 10. In the device shown in FIG. 2, this corresponds to the lower glass substrate 12.
  • connection between a metallic Via 11 and the electrically insulating glass substrate 12 can be hermetically formed in each case, since the glass substrate 12 can be processed in accordance with prior to assembly of the housing 2, in particular by utilizing high temperatures.
  • the housing 2 can thus be made hermetically overall, in particular in the area of the boundary surfaces denoted by 8, since these interfaces can now be configured in a manner free of contact bushing.
  • the left-hand via 11 in FIG. 2 forms an electrical contact 9, which is guided through the electrically insulating substrate 12 into the interior 3 in order to contact the liquid 4.
  • FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of another electro-fluidic device 1 according to the invention.
  • the concentric electrodes 5 are rather arranged on an outer side of a thin glass substrate 12, which delimits the inner space 3 and thus forms part of the housing 2.
  • the electrodes 5 were applied by evaporation and subsequent wet chemical structuring on the outside of the glass substrate 12 (ie on the side facing away from the interior 3) and before sealing the interior 3.
  • the Electrodes 5 are supported by the glass substrate 12.
  • the glass substrate 12 thus forms an electrically insulating housing section 10, which separates the electrodes 5 from the interior 3.
  • the Aktu istselektroden 5 are thus arranged outside the inner space 3 and on the housing 2.
  • the lower thin glass substrate 12 constitutes an electrically insulating housing section 10, which is designed in the form of a carrier substrate 6.
  • the carrier substrate 6, which outside the Electrodes 5 and inside the hydrophobic coating 17 carries is clamped on a designated 13 silicon spacer, which serves as a dimensionally stable frame.
  • Another housing portion 10 is formed in the form of a thin glass substrate 12 and clamped on the top of the frame 13.
  • the upper glass substrate 12 thus closes the interior 3 of the device 1 as a cover 19.
  • the carrier substrate 6 is uniformly thin, that is to say in particular in the region of the electrodes 5.
  • the electric field generated by the electrode 5 arranged at the far right in FIG. 3 can pass through the carrier substrate 6 penetrate into the interior 3 of the device 1 and interact there with the electrically actuated liquid 4. If the liquid 4, for example conveyed by electrostatic forces, propagates inwardly on the hydrophobic coating 17, the interaction between the electrode 5 arranged on the outside and the liquid 4 passes through the carrier substrate 6 and through the hydrophobic coating 17.
  • Fig. 3 is further indicated that the carrier substrate 6 is connected by an interface 8 with a housing part 7 of the housing 2, formed by the frame 13 and the glass cover 19, wherein in the interface 8, a sealing seam 14 is formed.
  • an electrical contact 9 is guided into the interior 3 of the device 1 by means of the silicon frame 13, which constitutes a housing part 7, the electrically actuatable liquid 4 touching this electrical contact 9. Due to this feature, it is possible that the electrofluid device shown in FIG. 3 can completely dispense with electrical vias, which are comparatively se consuming in an electrically insulating substrate must be formed.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates an inventive use of two flexible housing sections 10 for the compensation of thermally induced pressure fluctuations.
  • this volume expansion can be absorbed by making both the carrier substrate 6 and the upper housing section 10 designed as a glass cover 19 flexible.
  • thermomechanical stresses in the housing 2 can thus be reduced, the dimensional stability of the device 1 being ensured by the rigid frame 13.
  • This refinement makes it possible, in particular, to completely or at least partially reduce a relative pressure that can build up when the temperature changes between the interior 3 and the outside world.
  • FIG. 5 shows a plan view corresponding to FIG. 17 of an apparatus 1 according to the invention.
  • the viewing direction corresponds to the arrow designated by 18 in FIG. 3, which reproduces an optical path through the apparatus 1.
  • the boundary surface 8 is formed by the underside of the frame 13, on which the carrier substrate 6 rests with its inside (see FIG. 17).
  • This line illustrates a seam 14 which provides a hermetic seal between the carrier substrate 6 and the frame 13 (see Fig. 17).
  • both the interface 8 and the closed-line connecting seam 14 are configured free of feedthroughs.
  • both the underside of the frame 13, which constitutes a housing part 7, and the carrier substrate 6, which constitutes a housing section 10 carrying an electrode 5 on the outside, are designed to be homogeneous. As a result, a particularly high quality of the connection seam can be achieved. Due to the transparent configuration of the carrier substrate 6, in particular in the region of the interface 8, the connecting seam 14 can be optically inspected very simply through the housing (see FIG.
  • FIGS. 6 to 9 illustrate a method according to the invention for producing an electrofluidic device according to the independent method claim.
  • the housing 2 of the electro-fluidic device 1 to be produced and shown completely in FIG. 9 consists of an upper glass cover 19, a frame 13 and a carrier substrate 6, which is also made of glass.
  • external electrodes 5 and inner hydrophobic coatings 17 can first be patterned on the carrier substrate 6.
  • the carrier substrate 6 can be connected to the frame 13 by means of a laser 20.
  • a semi-open interior 3 is created in which by means of a dispenser 21, a well-defined amount of an electrically actuated liquid 4 can be introduced.
  • the liquid 4 is self-aligning in a ring shape (see Fig. 5).
  • FIG. 8 shows, the still half-open device with the already dispensed liquid 4 can subsequently be introduced into a basin which is filled with a second liquid 16 so that this second liquid 16 completely fills the remaining part of the interior 3.
  • the now completely filled with liquids interior 3 is then first provisionally closed by placing the glass cover 19 on the frame 13, this closure can be done bubble-free in an advantageous manner.
  • a sealing seam 14 is then created by means of the laser 20 shown in FIG. 8 in the boundary surface 8 between the frame 13 and the glass cover 19, in that the laser beam introduces the necessary energy locally focused onto the boundary surface 8 ,
  • This weld 14 closes the interior 3 hermetically sealed to the outside.
  • this weld 14 describes a closed line and in particular is designed to be free of electrical feedthroughs, as illustrated in FIG. 8 as well as in FIG. 9.
  • the electrofluidic device 1 may be immersed in the second liquid 16 during the laser process.
  • FIGS. 10 to 13 show a further variant of the production method according to the invention, in which an electrode 5 for the actuation of a liquid 4 is formed on the housing 2 of the device 1 before the closing of the interior space 3.
  • the housing 2 is again formed by a glass cover 19, a frame 13 and a carrier substrate 6.
  • the carrier substrate 6 has only one hydrophobic coating 17, but no electrode 5.
  • the actuation electrodes 5 of the electrofluidic device 1 are formed on a further glass substrate 12 which may be substantially thicker and more stable than the carrier substrate 6.
  • the carrier substrate 6 can be connected to the glass substrate 12, for example by gluing or bonding, such that the actuating electrodes 5 are in direct contact with the carrier substrate 6, as shown in FIG.
  • an outer electrode 5 according to the invention can be formed on the housing 2, more precisely on the outer side of the carrier substrate 6.
  • they may be guided on the thick bottom glass substrate 12 to the outside.
  • this sandwich construction according to the invention results in buried electrodes 5 which are electrically insulated towards the outside by the glass substrate 12 (see FIG.
  • the advantage according to the invention is realized that no electrical feedthroughs for actuating the liquid 4 are required in the region of the electrodes 5.
  • a hermetic connection between the carrier substrate 6 and the frame 13 can then be configured with the aid of a laser 20.
  • the laser beam locally introduces energy into the interface 8 formed between the carrier substrate 6 and the frame 13, by focusing the laser beam onto this interface.
  • only a limited increase in temperature in the device 1 occurs locally.
  • the resulting half-open interior 3 can be filled with the aid of dispensers 21 with the two liquids 4 and 16, as shown in FIG. 11. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 12, the glass lid 19 with the frame men 13 are welded to complete the interior 3 hermetically sealed to the outside. It can be seen from FIG. 12 that the bonding of the glass substrate 12 carrying the electrodes 5 to the carrier substrate 6 can also take place only after the closure of the interior 3 shown in FIG. In this case, according to the invention, the bonding of the glass substrate 12 or of the electrodes 5 to the carrier substrate 6 can also be reversible, for example merely by laying on.
  • FIGS. 14 to 17 illustrate a further method according to the invention for producing an electrofluidic device according to the independent method claim.
  • a tight connection between the frame 13 and the glass cover 19 is initially created here by means of laser welding, as illustrated in FIG. 15.
  • the electrically actuatable liquid 4 can be dispensed onto the carrier substrate 6 (see FIG. 15).
  • the carrier substrate 6 is placed together with the liquid 4 in a basin which, as shown in FIG. 16, is filled with the second liquid 16.
  • the inner space 3 as shown in Fig. 16 be sealed by means of laser welding to the outside. As illustrated in FIG.
  • boundary surfaces 8 of the housing 2, which must be hermetically sealed to one another in the encapsulation of the liquid 4, are designed to be free of contact bushing.
  • Possible fields of application of the invention are optofluidic systems such as tunable lenses, diaphragms, mirrors or prisms, but also microfluidic devices in which liquids are to be electrically actuated or manipulated within an inner space 3 separated by an electrode 5.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Micromachines (AREA)
  • Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)

Abstract

Selon l'invention, afin de renforcer la fiabilité mécanique mais également électrique d'un dispositif électrofluidique (1), un champ électrique est injecté à travers une partie de boîtier (10) conçue mince, dans un espace intérieur (3) formé par un boîtier (2), de manière à permettre au champ électrique d'interagir avec un liquide (4) qui est encapsulé hermétiquement par le boîtier (2). Cette approche permet d'éviter dans une large mesure d'avoir recours à des passages électriques à travers le boîtier, de manière à éviter que le liquide (4) s'échappe du boîtier (2). L'invention permet en particulier de concevoir des surfaces limites (8) du boîtier (2), qui doivent être reliées les unes aux autres de manière hermétiquement étanche, sans passages pour contacts. Des domaines d'application possibles de l'invention sont les systèmes optofluidiques tels que des lentilles, des diaphragmes, des miroirs ou des primes ajustables, mais également des dispositifs microfluidiques (1) pour lesquels des liquides doivent être actionnés ou manipulés électriquement à l'intérieur d'un espace intérieur (3) séparé d'une électrode (5).
PCT/EP2017/001255 2016-11-02 2017-10-25 Dispositif élecrofluidique et procédé de fabrication et de fonctionnement associé WO2018082802A1 (fr)

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