MEMS technology is expanding into increasingly diverse applications. As part of a micropropulsion system, microthruster attitude controls have been micromachined in silicon. This paper presents the microthruster design, fabrication, and test results. Fluid injected into a microchamber is vaporized by resistive silicon heaters. The exiting vapor generates the thruster force as it exits a silicon micro-nozzle. The vaporization chamber, inlet and exit nozzles were fabricated using anisotropic wet etching of silicon. With a 5 W heater input, injected water could be vaporized for input flow rates up to a maximum of 0.09 cc/s. Experimental testing produced thruster force magnitudes ranging from 0.15 mN to a maximum force output of 0.46 mN depending on fabrication parameters: chamber length, nozzle geometries, heater power, and liquid flow rates.


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    Title :

    Vaporizing liquid microthruster


    Contributors:
    Mukerjee, E.V. (author) / Wallace, A.P. (author) / Yan, K.Y. (author) / Howard, D.W. (author) / Smith, R.L. (author) / Collins, S.D. (author)


    Publication date :

    2000


    Size :

    6 Seiten, 13 Quellen




    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English




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