Hindles Limited

There is provided a fluidic device comprising a substrate and one or more piezoelectric actuators formed on the substrate. Each of the piezoelectric actuators comprise a moveable piezoelectric diaphragm. The fluidic device comprises a pump having a first piezoelectric actuator of the one or more piezoelectric actuators. Control circuitry is electrically coupled to the pump, wherein the control circuitry is configured to actuate the first piezoelectric actuator to cause movement of a fluid. The fluidic device is configured to generate a first signal indicative of a device characteristic and/or indicative of an environmental characteristic, wherein the first signal is based on the movement of at least one moveable piezoelectric diaphragm of at least one of the one or more piezoelectric actuators.

The present invention provides a controller (108, 208) for a pump assembly (100, 200) The pump assembly (100, 200) comprises a substrate (102, 202) having a first surface (104, 204) and an opposite second surface (106, 206). The pump assembly (100, 200) further comprises a plurality of layers (110, 210) on the first surface (104, 204) of the substrate (102, 202). The plurality of layers (110, 210) comprises a piezoelectric actuator (114, 214) comprising a piezoelectric body (120, 220), a first electrode (116, 216) and a second electrode (118, 128), the electrodes in contact with the piezoelectric body (120, 220). At least one of the first and second electrodes (116, 118, 216, 218) is electrically connected to the controller (108, 208). The pump assembly (100, 200) further comprises a first fluid chamber (122, 222) for housing the first fluid. The pump assembly (100, 200) defines one or more pump passages (126, 226a, 226b) from the first fluid chamber (122, 222), through which the first fluid is to be pumped into a liquid-filled region (128, 228). The controller (108, 208) is configured to, in dependence on a control signal received at the controller (108, 208) when the first fluid chamber (122, 222) comprises the first fluid, cause actuation of the piezoelectric actuator (114, 214) to pump the first fluid from the first fluid chamber (122, 222) into the liquid-filled region (128, 228) via the one or more pump passages (126, 226a, 226b).

There is provided a method for fabricating a fluidic device. The method comprises providing one or more MEMS actuators, deposited in one or more steps, on a substrate. The one or more MEMS actuators comprise a photosensitive layer. The method further comprises forming one or more channels through at least a portion of the photosensitive layer. The fluidic device is configured to move fluid through the one or more channels using the one or more MEMS actuators. The step of forming the one or more channels comprises directing electromagnetic radiation on at least part of the photosensitive layer.

There is disclosed fluid droplet ejection system including a fluid reservoir (212), a nozzle (214) and an actuator (220) for causing the ejection of a droplet of fluid from the fluid reservoir (212) via the nozzle (214) on receipt of a drive control signal, and a controller comprising: an actuator driver module (1612) configured to output a drive control signal to the actuator to cause it to eject a droplet of fluid; and a charge driver module (1614) configured to output a charge control signal to create an electric field within the nozzle (214) region that is sufficient to cause an electric charge to remain on the droplet after it is ejected. An associated method, fluid, fluid medium are also disclosed. The system can be used for inkjet printing and also for delivering precise quantities of chemical reagents.

According to the invention there is a provided a method of ejecting a droplet of fluid from a droplet ejector comprising an actuator and a nozzle, the method comprising: causing a first actuation of the actuator to displace a volume of fluid through the nozzle, in a first direction away from the a surface of the actuator; and causing a second actuation of the actuator to take place a first period of time, t₁, after the first actuation was caused to take place, to cause: a first portion of the volume of fluid to return to the nozzle, and a second portion of the volume of fluid to break off to form a droplet and move in the first direction.

The present disclosure provides a controller for a pump assembly (100). The pump assembly comprises: a substrate (102) having a first surface (104) and an opposite second surface (106); a plurality of layers (108) on the first surface of the substrate, the plurality of layers comprising a piezoelectric actuator (112) providing a piezoelectric body (118) and first and second electrodes (116, 120) in contact with the piezoelectric body, at least one of the first and second electrodes being electrically connected to the controller, and wherein the plurality of layers comprises a moveable portion (124); and at least one pump passage (126) defined by the pump assembly. The controller is configured to cause a first driving signal to be received at the piezoelectric actuator at a first time and cause a second driving signal to be received at the piezoelectric actuator at a second time, after the first time. The piezoelectric actuator is configured to cause movement of the moveable portion in response to receipt of the first driving signal at the piezoelectric actuator to thereby cause a first volume of the liquid to be pumped via the at least one pump passage. The piezoelectric actuator is further configured to cause movement of the moveable portion in response to receipt of the second driving signal at the piezoelectric actuator to thereby cause a second volume of the liquid to be pumped via the at least one pump passage. In this aspect, the time between the first time and the second time is less than the time from the first time in which the moveable portion would naturally come to rest after the movement caused in response to receipt of the first driving signal at the piezoelectric actuator, and more than 50% of the movement of the moveable portion caused in response to receipt of the first driving signal at the piezoelectric actuator, after the second time, would be in the same direction as the movement of the moveable portion caused in response to receipt of the second driving signal at the piezoelectric actuator were the moveable portion to be stationary at the second time.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method (500, 600) of ejecting a droplet of fluid from a droplet ejector (710a - 710e, 910a, 910b) comprising an actuator (830) and a nozzle (820), the method comprising: causing (510, 610) a first actuation of the actuator (830) to displace a first volume of the fluid through the nozzle (820); and causing (520, 620) one or more subsequent actuations of the actuator (830) to displace a second volume of the fluid through the nozzle (820) and to increase the momentum of the first volume of the fluid, wherein break off of the droplet from the nozzle (820) occurs after the final actuation of the one or more subsequent actuations (304, 314, 404, 414).

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a fan comprising: a housing defining an inner region; an inlet for receiving an air flow; an outlet for expelling the air flow; an impeller having a plurality of fan blades that generate sound pressure waves within the inner region on operation of the fan; and a conduit configured to attenuate the generated sound waves that travel through the outlet such that an attenuation of the sound waves is at least 50%, the conduit comprising: an outer wall surrounding an air passage along which the air flow is caused to flow on operation of the fan; and a sound absorbing material provided between the air passage and the outer wall.

A reflective mask blank used in EUV lithography using EUV light as exposure light comprising at least a substrate 10; a multilayer reflective film 50 that is formed on the substrate 10 and reflects exposure light; and a multilayer film 200 containing tantalum (Ta). The multilayer film 200 has a TaN part 210, a TaO part 230, and a Ta part 220 provided between the TaN part 210 and the TaO part 230. A density of the Ta part 220 is higher than densities of the TaN part 210 and the TaO part 230. The density of the Ta part 220 is 13 g/cm<3> or more.

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