Monolithic microfabricated vibrating mesh atomizer
In various embodiments, an apparatus can comprise one or more integrated mesh membranes operable to vibrate based on an integrated structure with a piezoelectric material. The integrated mesh membrane can be implemented in an atomizer, which can be constructed as a monolithic vibrating mesh atomizer. A portable vibrating mesh atomizer can be implemented in a number of applications including, but not limited to, a vaping device or portable liquid medicine delivery system. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
1 . An apparatus comprising:
a bulk substrate with an insulating layer on top of the bulk substrate, with an opening in the bulk substrate and insulating layer;
a mesh membrane integrated with the insulating layer and disposed on and contacting the insulating layer with the mesh membrane extending over the opening, the mesh membrane being a flat mesh membrane having multiple holes arranged as a set of nozzles to provide entry paths to the opening, the set including nozzles of different shapes, each nozzle having an inlet and an outlet, the outlet having a non-circular shape and arranged to provide an entry path to the opening in the bulk substrate and insulating layer, the nozzles of different shapes to dispense droplets through the outlets with selected viscosities based on respective shapes of the nozzles, the nozzles including a nozzle having a shape between the inlet of the nozzle and the outlet of the nozzle that includes a combination of a flat tapered surface extending along a path between the inlet and the outlet of the nozzle and a non-flat tapered surface extending along the path between the inlet and the outlet of the nozzle;
a first conductive layer integrated with the mesh membrane and disposed on and contacting the mesh membrane;
a piezoelectric film integrated with the first conductive layer and disposed on and contacting the first conductive layer; and
a second conductive layer integrated with the piezoelectric film and disposed on and contacting the piezoelectric film, with the first conductive layer, the piezoelectric film, and the second conductive layer arranged to operatively vibrate the mesh membrane in response to a signal provided between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the holes in the mesh membrane are arranged to extend through the first conductive layer, the piezoelectric film, and the second conductive layer.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive layer, the piezoelectric film, and the second conductive layer are structured having a ring shape and are disposed on an outside of the mesh membrane.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a top surface of the mesh membrane, opposite the outlets, and surfaces of the holes are coated with a biocompatible polymer that is hydrophobic or hydrophilic.
5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the different shapes include an hourglass shape or a wine glass shape.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one or more surfaces defining one or more holes have attached monolayers that make the surface more hydrophilic or more hydrophobic.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mesh membrane includes silicon.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mesh membrane includes a polymer having piezoelectric nanoparticles incorporated within the polymer.
9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive layer, the piezoelectric film, and the second conductive layer are arranged as part of a vibrating mesh atomizer.
10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus includes an integrated pressure sensor arranged on top of and contacting the mesh membrane over a number of holes of the mesh membrane.
11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus includes a thin film coating to prevent liquid to substrate interaction.
12 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is a vaping device.
13 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the vaping device is an electronic cigarette having a sensor, to detect inhalation, monolithically integrated with an atomizer on a single the bulk substrate, the atomizer provided by the mesh membrane, the first conductive layer, the piezoelectric film, and the second conductive layer integrated on the bulk substrate, the bulk substrate being a single substrate.
14 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is a liquid drug delivery system.
15 . An apparatus comprising:
a bulk substrate with an insulating layer on top of the bulk substrate, with an opening in the bulk substrate and insulating layer;
a mesh membrane integrated with the insulating layer and disposed on and contacting the insulating layer with the mesh membrane extending over the opening, the mesh membrane having multiple holes arranged as a set of nozzles to provide entry paths to the opening, the set including nozzles of different shapes, each nozzle having an outlet opening arranged to provide an entry path to the opening in the bulk substrate and insulating layer;
a first conductive layer integrated with the mesh membrane and disposed on and contacting the mesh membrane;
a piezoelectric film integrated with the first conductive layer and disposed on and contacting the first conductive layer;
a second conductive layer integrated with the piezoelectric film and disposed on and contacting the piezoelectric film, with the first conductive layer, the piezoelectric film, and the second conductive layer arranged to operatively vibrate the mesh membrane in response to a signal provided between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer; and
multiple microfluidic chambers disposed above the mesh membrane such that different ones of the multiple microfluidic chambers, arranged to hold different fluids, are aligned with different sets of holes of the mesh membrane such that the different sets of the holes provide different entrances to the opening from the multiple microfluidic chambers.
16 . A method of forming an apparatus having a mesh membrane, the method comprising:
forming a mesh membrane as a flat mesh membrane integrated with an insulating layer and disposed on and contacting the insulating layer, with the insulating layer on top of a bulk substrate;
forming a first conductive layer integrated with the mesh membrane and disposed on and contacting the mesh membrane;
forming a piezoelectric film integrated with the first conductive layer and disposed on and contacting the first conductive layer;
forming a second conductive layer integrated with the piezoelectric film and disposed on and contacting the piezoelectric film;
forming multiple holes in the mesh membrane arranged as a set of nozzles, each nozzle having an inlet and an outlet, the set including nozzles of different shapes, by wet etching, dry etching, or a combination of wet and dry etching the mesh membrane to configure the nozzles of different shapes having etched surfaces to dispense droplets through outlets with selected viscosities based on respective shapes of the nozzles; nozzles, the nozzles including a nozzle having an outlet with a non-circular shape and a shape between the inlet of the nozzle and the outlet of the nozzle that includes a combination of a flat tapered surface extending along a path between the inlet and the outlet of the nozzle and a non-flat tapered surface; surface extending along the path between the inlet and the outlet of the nozzle; and
forming an opening in the bulk substrate and insulating layer such that the mesh membrane extends over the opening with each nozzle outlet arranged to provide an entry path to the opening in the bulk substrate and insulating layer.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the method includes coupling a voltage source to the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer to operatively vibrate the mesh membrane in response to a signal from the voltage source provided between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.
18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the method includes forming the holes in the mesh membrane to extend through the first conductive layer, the piezoelectric film, and the second conductive layer.
19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the method includes forming the first conductive layer, the piezoelectric film, and the second conductive layer having a ring shape disposed on an outside of the mesh membrane.
20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the method includes modifying a top surface of the mesh membrane, opposite the outlets, and surfaces of the holes to be hydrophobic or hydrophilic.
21 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the method includes forming the different shapes using a combination of etching processes.
22 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the method includes controlling hydrophobicity of a surface of a hole of the multiple holes.
23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein controlling hydrophobicity of the surface includes attaching one or more monolayers to the surface.
24 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the mesh membrane includes silicon.
25 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the mesh membrane includes a polymer.
26 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the method includes arranging the first conductive layer, the piezoelectric film, and the second conductive layer as part of a vibrating mesh atomizer.
27 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the method includes integrating multiple pressure sensors arranged on top of and contacting the mesh membrane, each of the multiple pressure sensors arranged over a number of holes of the mesh membrane.
28 . The method of claim 16 , wherein forming the apparatus includes forming a vaping device.
29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein forming the vaping device includes forming an electronic cigarette including monolithically integrating a sensor, to detect inhalation, with an atomizer grown on the bulk substrate, the atomizer provided by the mesh membrane, the first conductive layer, the piezoelectric film, and the second conductive layer grown on the bulk substrate, the bulk substrate being a single substrate.
30 . The method of claim 16 , wherein forming the apparatus includes forming a liquid drug delivery system.
31 . The method of claim 16 , wherein forming multiple holes includes forming the multiple holes to control droplet size, droplet shape, and force to push liquid out of the multiple holes.
32 . A method of forming an apparatus having a mesh membrane, the method comprising:
forming a mesh membrane integrated with an insulating layer and disposed on and contacting the insulating layer, with the insulating layer on top of a bulk substrate;
forming a first conductive layer integrated with the mesh membrane and disposed on and contacting the mesh membrane;
forming a piezoelectric film integrated with the first conductive layer and disposed on and contacting the first conductive layer;
forming a second conductive layer integrated with the piezoelectric film and disposed on and contacting the piezoelectric film;
forming multiple holes in the mesh membrane arranged as a set of nozzles, the set including nozzles of different shapes;
forming an opening in the bulk substrate and insulating layer such that the mesh membrane extends over the opening with each nozzle having an outlet opening arranged to provide an entry path to the opening in the bulk substrate and insulating layer; and
forming multiple microfluidic chambers disposed above the mesh membrane such that different ones of the multiple microfluidic chambers, arranged to hold different fluids, are aligned with different sets of holes of the mesh membrane such that the different sets of the holes provide different entrances to the opening from the multiple microfluidic chambers.
33 . A method of operating an apparatus having a mesh membrane, the method comprising:
applying a signal between a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer of the apparatus to vibrate the mesh membrane in response to the application of the signal, the apparatus including:
a bulk substrate with an insulating layer on top of the bulk substrate with an opening in the bulk substrate and insulating layer;
the mesh membrane integrated with the insulating layer and disposed on and contacting the insulating layer with the mesh membrane extending over the opening, the mesh membrane being a flat mesh membrane having multiple holes arranged as a set of nozzles to provide entry paths to the opening, the set including nozzles of different shapes, each nozzle having an inlet and an outlet, the outlet having a non-circular shape and arranged to provide an entry path to the opening in the bulk substrate and insulating layer, the nozzles of different shapes to dispense droplets through the outlets with selected viscosities based on respective shapes of the nozzles, the nozzles including a nozzle having a shape between the inlet of the nozzle and the outlet of the nozzle that includes a combination of a flat tapered surface extending along a path between the inlet and the outlet of the nozzle and a non-flat tapered surface extending along the path between the inlet and the outlet of the nozzle;
the first conductive layer integrated with the mesh membrane and disposed on and contacting the mesh membrane;
a piezoelectric film integrated with the first conductive layer and disposed on and contacting the first conductive layer; and
the second conductive layer integrated with the piezoelectric film and disposed on and contacting the piezoelectric film, the piezoelectric film arranged with the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer to operatively vibrate the mesh.
34 . The method of claim 33 , wherein operating the apparatus includes operating a vaping device.
35 . The method of claim 34 , wherein the vaping device is an electronic cigarette having a sensor to detect inhalation, the sensor monolithically integrated with an atomizer on the bulk substrate, the atomizer provided by the mesh membrane, the first conductive layer, the piezoelectric film, and the second conductive layer integrated on the bulk substrate, the bulk substrate being a single substrate.
36 . The method of claim 35 , wherein the method includes outputting an aerosol in response to a sensor detecting user activity of the electronic cigarette.
37 . The method of claim 36 , wherein the method includes controlling the outputting of the aerosol using a microprocessor of the electronic cigarette with the microprocessor arranged to receive a sensor signal from a sensor integrated with the electronic cigarette.