Our capabilities lie in the realm of micro-system technology and nanotechnology, in the broadest sense.  These capabilities cover the entire spectrum:

• basic science and R&D
• test and characterization
• packaging and reliability
• product development and deployment
• intellectual property assessment and development
• business plan development, including marketing analysis and financial planning
• manufacturing
  

Implied in the descriptions below is our intrinsic capability in analytical modeling of devices and systems, and numerical (finite element, or FEA) multiphysics modeling of single-mode or multi-mode devices and systems.  For more information on our modeling expertise and toolsets, please see below-right, or contact us.

Specific capabilities and accomplishments related to microflow and microfluidics are described below. 

Representative applications

• Refrigerant flow control systems (‘green’ technology to improve HVAC/R efficiency)
• Micro fuel cell flow control systems
• Gas and liquid chromatography
• Atomic layer deposition (taking advantage of small dead volumes)
• Helium backside wafer chuck cooling
• Liquid flow control for biomedical applications (microfluidics)
• MFCs for safe delivery system (SDS) gases (ion implant)
• Plasma etching for semiconductor processing
• Active plasma etch ‘showerhead’ control using microvalves and embedded sensors
• Flow control in automotive anti-lock braking systems
• Automotive manifold air pressure and mass air flow control systems
• Blood pressure measurement systems

Related technology

• High-flow microvalve valve seat (up to 50 slm N2 equivalent at conventional pressures)
• Ultra-low-flow microvalve valve seat (below 0.01 sccm N2 equivalent at conventional pressures)
• Low-power and high-speed microactuators
• Microfabricated boiler for thermopneumatic actuation
• Die attach technology for vacuum leak-rate microcomponents
• Packaging technology for high-purity integrated flow control systems
• Addressable thermocouple arrays for temperature measurement 
• Pressure sensors for wide dynamic range, accurate operation in diverse environments, e.g. cryogenic operation, and below-ground environmental sensing
  

Standalone microcomponents

• Silicon capacitive pressure sensors with wide dynamic range and high sensitivity
• Thermopneumatically-actuated normally-closed proportional silicon microvalve
• Thermopneumatically-actuated normally-closed on-off vacuum leak-tight silicon microvalve Thermopneumatically-actuated normally-open proportional silicon microvalve
• High-reliability, thermopneumatically-actuated microvalve
• Low-power, low-flow thermopneumatically-actuated microvalve
• Solenoid-actuated microvalves
• Pneumatically-actuated microvalves and pumps
• Piezoelectrically-actuated microvalves
  
• Micro-pneumatic (and micro-hydraulic) devices for CMOS-like, compressible gas (and incompressible liquid) digital logic and analog signal processing, including pumping, and fluid energy harvesting

Integrated microflow and microfluidic components and systems

• Liquid and gas flow sensing using sonic and subsonic flow through either silicon orifices or other flow restrictors, combined with advanced modeling algorithms (the algorithms constitute IP held by Aquarian)
• Embedded systems architecture, design, and software
• Low-cost flow regulator
• Low-cost pressure regulator
• Compressible gas mass flow controller (MFC) suitable for distribution and control of high-purity semiconductor-grade gases
• Wide dynamic range compressible gas MFC using the silicon capacitive pressure
  sensor
• Compressible gas multi-channel integrated gas panel (IGS) suitable for distribution and control of high-purity semiconductor-grade gases
• Incompressible liquid mass flow controller suitable for distribution and control of high-purity
  semiconductor-grade liquids
• Liquid flow vaporization and control system, suitable for water, TEOS, and other liquids

Modeling, algorithms, test and characterization

• Compressible gas and incompressible liquid flow models for microvalves
• Compressible gas flow modeling through silicon micromachined orifices
• System-level multiphysics modeling of complex microflow and microfluidic systems
• Self-diagnosis and auto-calibration algorithms for MEMS-based MFC and IGS devices (enables a MEMS-based MFC to embody the capabilities of both an MFC and a device such as the MKS ‘Tru-Flo’ mass flow verifier)
• Labview-based test and characterization systems, for performance characterization and
  establishment of component and system reliability
• Close familiarity with SEMI standards related to semiconductor flow and pressure control devices