Silicon Microdevice for Emulsion Production Using Three-Dimensional Flow Focusing

This paper presents a device that is intended to produce emulsions of liquids at a micrometer scale by using the fluidic technique that is known as "flow focusing." This technique consists in the encapsulation of an inner stream by an outer liquid. By controlling both liquid flow rates, ex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of microelectromechanical systems 2007-10, Vol.16 (5), p.1201-1208
Main Authors: Luque, A., Perdigones, F.A., Esteve, J., Montserrat, J., Ganan-Calvo, A.M., Quero, J.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arrays
Devices
Droplets
Emulsions
Encapsulation
Exact sciences and technology
Fabrication
Fluid flow
Fluid flow control
Focusing
Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy
Liquids
Mechanical instruments, equipment and techniques
Microelectromechanical devices
Micromechanical devices and systems
Numerical simulation
Physics
Production
Silicon
Standards publication
Thickness control
Three dimensional
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Summary:This paper presents a device that is intended to produce emulsions of liquids at a micrometer scale by using the fluidic technique that is known as "flow focusing." This technique consists in the encapsulation of an inner stream by an outer liquid. By controlling both liquid flow rates, extremely thin jets can be produced, with very good control of its thickness and of the produced droplets in the emulsion. The device that is proposed in this paper performs 3D focusing, and in contrast to previously known designs, it is integrable into bidimensional arrays, increasing the overall achievable efficiency. This paper describes the physical principle of flow focusing, presents the fabrication process of the device in silicon using standard microfabrication processes, and shows numerical simulations and experimental results, in good agreement with previously published theoretical behavior.
ISSN:1057-7157
1941-0158
DOI:10.1109/JMEMS.2007.901644