MEMS structure atomizer core and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses a MEMS structure atomizer core and a preparation method thereof. The MEMS structure atomizer core comprises: a support structure, the support structure having a first surface and a second surface arranged back to back, the first surface being provided with an oil storage tank, the second surface being provided with an oil guide hole connected to the oil storage tank, and the second surface being arranged back to back with the first surface; a resistance heating structure, the resistance heating structure being provided on the second surface of the support structure, and when the resistance heating structure is connected to a power source, the fluid medium transported from the oil guide hole can contact the resistance heating structure and be heated and atomized. The present invention not only makes the atomizer core more reliable and the temperature consistency better controlled, and can accurately control the resistance range, but also can accurately control the rate and amount of oil seepage. Combined with semiconductor technology, it can achieve batch and low-cost manufacturing and avoid the pollution caused by ceramic sintering process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention particularly relates to a MEMS structure atomizing core and a preparation method thereof, belonging to the technical field of atomizers. Background Art

[0002] Atomization technology is the process of converting a fluid medium into small droplets. Currently, atomization methods include high-pressure gas atomization, ultrasonic atomization, microwave heating atomization, and resistance heating atomization. As the "heart" of atomization technology, the atomizer core determines the atomization effect.

[0003] The commonly used atomizer core structures are as follows: Figure 1 The heating resistor is formed by printing on porous ceramic. The tiny pores in the porous ceramic are key to the ceramic atomizer core's stable liquid conduction and liquid retention functions. Due to surface tension and capillary action, the fluid medium can evenly penetrate the atomizer core and adsorb on the surface.

[0004] Compared with other atomization methods, the temperature of the porous ceramic atomization core will rise faster during the heating process and the temperature uniformity is better. However, since the resistor paste is prepared through the screen printing process and then undergoes high-temperature sintering and other processes, on the one hand, high-temperature sintering will cause the resistor paste to shrink, resulting in discrete resistance; on the other hand, since the porous ceramic support structure is a microporous structure, during the printing process, the resistor paste will penetrate into the pores, causing defects such as broken wires and open circuits. The atomization core with an alloy diaphragm as the heating structure will cause gaps between the alloy diaphragm and the porous ceramic due to problems with the thermal expansion coefficient when it is in the heating working state, which will affect the atomization effect. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a MEMS structure atomizer core and a preparation method thereof, thereby overcoming the deficiencies in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the aforementioned object of the invention, the technical solutions adopted by the present invention include:

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention provides a MEMS structure atomizer core, comprising:

[0008] A support structure having a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to each other, the first surface being provided with an oil storage tank, the second surface being provided with an oil guide hole connected to the oil storage tank, and the second surface being disposed opposite to the first surface;

[0009] The resistance heating structure is arranged on the second surface of the support structure. When the resistance heating structure is connected to a power source, the fluid medium transported from the oil guide hole can contact the resistance heating structure and be heated and atomized.

[0010] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for preparing the MEMS structure atomizer core, which is characterized by comprising:

[0011] forming a patterned conductive material layer on the second surface of the support structure as a resistive heating structure;

[0012] An oil storage groove is formed on the first surface of the support structure, and an oil guide hole is formed at the bottom of the oil storage groove and penetrates the support structure, so that the fluid medium transported from the oil guide hole can contact the conductive material layer.

[0013] Compared with the existing technology, the advantages of the present invention include: the atomizer core structure of the MEMS structure provided by the present invention has higher reliability, better temperature consistency control, and can accurately control the resistance range; it can also accurately control the rate and amount of oil leakage. Combined with semiconductor technology, it can achieve mass production and low cost, avoiding the pollution caused by ceramic sintering process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a porous ceramic atomization core sample in the prior art;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of a MEMS atomizer core provided in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 3 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a heating resistor provided in a typical embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the preparation process of a MEMS structure atomizer core provided in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of the preparation process of a MEMS structure atomizer core provided in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of a MEMS atomizer core provided in Example 2 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the inventors of this case, after long-term research and extensive practice, have proposed the technical solution of the present invention. The following will further explain this technical solution, its implementation process and principles.

[0021] Develop an atomizer core with simple process, good performance and high precision, which is suitable for application fields such as electronic cigarettes, humidifiers, facial steamers, fog machines, medical atomizers, etc.

[0022] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the current porous ceramic atomization core prepared by thick film printing and alloy diaphragm, the present invention proposes to use the deposition technology in the semiconductor process on the silicon-based support structure to realize the patterning of the metal film on the silicon-based surface to form a stable heating resistor structure; on the other hand, through dry and wet etching, a high-precision oil storage tank is formed, and precise oil guide holes can also be formed, which can control the penetration rate of the fluid medium during the atomization process and maintain a good atomization effect.

[0023] An embodiment of the present invention provides a MEMS structure atomization core, which uses single-crystal silicon as the main substrate and is divided into two main structures. The middle core is a heating structure, with deposited metal material as the heating part; the lower layer is a supporting structure, a frame structure formed with single-crystal silicon as the substrate, with arrayed micropores prepared in the middle.

[0024] An embodiment of the present invention provides a MEMS structure atomizer core, comprising:

[0025] A support structure having a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to each other, the first surface being provided with an oil storage tank, the second surface being provided with an oil guide hole connected to the oil storage tank, and the second surface being disposed opposite to the first surface;

[0026] The resistance heating structure is arranged on the second surface of the support structure. When the resistance heating structure is connected to a power source, the fluid medium transported from the oil guide hole can contact the resistance heating structure and be heated and atomized.

[0027] In some more specific embodiments, the support structure includes a first support structure and a second support structure arranged in a stacked manner, wherein the thermal conductivity of the first support structure is greater than the thermal conductivity of the second support structure, the oil storage tank is at least arranged in the second support structure, the resistance heating structure is arranged on the first support structure, and the oil guide hole passes through the first support structure and the second support structure at the same time.

[0028] In some more specific embodiments, the first support structure is a silicon oxide support structure, the thickness of the first support structure is 100nm-2000nm, the second support structure is a single crystal silicon support structure, the thickness of the second support structure is 100μm-5000μm, and the thickness of the second support structure at the bottom of the oil storage tank is 2-5 times the thickness of the first support structure.

[0029] In some more specific embodiments, the first support structure is formed by oxidizing a surface region of the second support structure.

[0030] In some more specific embodiments, the second surface of the support structure is provided with a plurality of the oil guide holes, and the plurality of the oil guide holes are distributed in an array;

[0031] In some more specific embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the oil guide hole includes any one of circular, elliptical, square, triangular, and crisscross shapes, or a combination of two or more thereof.

[0032] In some more specific implementation schemes, the plurality of oil guide holes are distributed in a square, S-shaped or hole-shaped shape.

[0033] In some more specific embodiments, the diameter of the oil-conducting holes is 1 μm-500 μm, and the gap between adjacent oil-conducting holes is 1 μm-500 μm.

[0034] In some more specific embodiments, the second surface of the support structure has a first area and a second area, the resistive heating structure includes a patterned conductive material layer at least covering the first area, and the oil guide hole is at least provided in the second area.

[0035] In some more specific embodiments, a plurality of guide grooves are further provided in the second area of the second surface of the support structure, each of the guide grooves is also connected to the oil guide hole, and the depth of the guide groove is less than 1 / 2 of the thickness of the first support structure.

[0036] In some more specific embodiments, each guide groove is also filled with a guide layer, which is formed by a combination of metal particles and non-metallic particles, wherein the metal particles are made of the same material as the resistive heating structure, the non-metallic particles are made of the same material as the second support structure, and the resistive heating structure is directly in contact with or connected to the guide layer.

[0037] In some more specific embodiments, the thickness of the conductive material layer is 100 nm-500 μm.

[0038] In some more specific embodiments, the conductive material layer is made of any one of Ni, Cr, Au, Pt, Mo, and W, or an alloy of two or more thereof.

[0039] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for preparing the MEMS structure atomizer core, which is characterized by comprising:

[0040] forming a patterned conductive material layer on the second surface of the support structure as a resistive heating structure;

[0041] An oil storage groove is formed on the first surface of the support structure, and an oil guide hole is formed at the bottom of the oil storage groove and penetrates the support structure, so that the fluid medium transported from the oil guide hole can contact the conductive material layer.

[0042] In some more specific embodiments, the preparation method specifically includes:

[0043] Oxidizing a portion of the single crystal silicon near the second surface of the support structure to form silicon oxide, and using the oxidized silicon oxide as the first support structure and the remaining unoxidized portion as the second support structure;

[0044] An oil storage tank is formed on the first surface of the support structure, and the entire oil storage tank is disposed within the second support structure. The oil guide hole is formed at the bottom of the oil storage tank, and the oil guide hole continuously passes through the second support structure and the first support structure.

[0045] A resistance heating structure is formed on the surface of the first supporting structure.

[0046] In some more specific embodiments, the preparation method specifically includes:

[0047] First, a plurality of guide grooves are formed on the surface of the first support structure so that the guide grooves are connected to the oil guide holes. Then, a guide layer containing metal particles and non-metallic particles is formed in the guide grooves, wherein the metal particles are made of the same material as the resistance heating structure, and the non-metallic particles are made of the same material as the second support structure.

[0048] The resistance heating structure is formed on the surface of the first supporting structure, and the resistance heating structure is directly in contact with or connected to the guide layer.

[0049] The technical solution, its implementation process and principles will be further explained below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation cases. Unless otherwise specified, the oxidation, deposition, etching and other processes used in the embodiments of the present invention can be methods known to those skilled in the art, and their specific process conditions are not limited here.

[0050] The MEMS atomizer core structure provided by this invention consists of two main components: a structure with a deposited heating film and an oil-seepage structure with an array of distributed flow-guiding holes. This invention not only improves the reliability of the atomizer core, improves temperature consistency, and precisely controls the resistance range, but also precisely controls the rate and amount of oil seepage. Combined with semiconductor technology, it enables mass-produced, low-cost manufacturing and avoids the contamination caused by ceramic sintering.

[0051] Example 1

[0052] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 A MEMS structure atomizer core structure includes a second support structure 200, a first support structure 100 and a resistance heating structure 300 stacked in sequence, the second support structure 200 has a first surface facing away from the first support structure 100, the first support structure 100 has a second surface facing away from the second support structure 200, the first surface of the second support structure 200 is provided with an oil storage tank 210, and the second surface of the second support structure 200 is provided with a plurality of oil guide holes 220, the guide holes 220 continuously penetrate the first support structure 100 and the second support structure 200 and are connected to the oil storage tank 210, the resistance heating structure 200 is provided on the second surface of the first support structure 100, when the resistance heating structure 300 is connected to a power source, the fluid medium transported from the oil guide holes 220 can contact the resistance heating structure 300 and be heated and atomized, the fluid medium including tobacco oil, etc.

[0053] In this embodiment, the thermal conductivity of the first support structure 100 is greater than that of the second support structure 200. The entire oil storage tank 210 is arranged in the second support structure 200. The oil storage tank 210 has a variable diameter structure that gradually changes in the direction toward the first support structure 100. The radial or lateral dimensions of the oil storage tank 210 gradually decrease in the direction toward the first support structure 100.

[0054] In this embodiment, the first support structure 100 is a silicon oxide support structure, and the thickness of the first support structure 100 is 100nm-2000nm. The second support structure 200 is a single crystal silicon support structure, and the thickness of the second support structure 200 is 100μm-5000μm. The thickness of the second support structure 200 remaining at the bottom of the oil storage tank 210 is 2-5 times the thickness of the first support structure 100.

[0055] In this embodiment, the first support structure 100 is formed by oxidizing the surface area of the second support structure 200 .

[0056] In this embodiment, the second surface of the support structure is provided with a plurality of the oil guide holes 220, and the plurality of the oil guide holes 220 are distributed in an array. The cross-sectional shape of the oil guide holes 220 includes any one of a circular, elliptical, square, triangular, and a crisscross shape, or a combination of two or more thereof. The plurality of the oil guide holes 220 are distributed in a square, S-shaped, or slit-shaped shape as a whole. The pore diameter of the oil guide holes 220 is 1 μm-500 μm, and the gap between adjacent oil guide holes 220 is 1 μm-500 μm.

[0057] In this embodiment, the second surface of the first support structure 100 has a first area and a second area, the resistive heating structure 300 includes a patterned conductive material layer covering the first area, and the oil guide hole 220 is provided in the second area, wherein the conductive material layer is provided in a patterned manner, and the pattern structure of the conductive material layer can be as follows: Figure 3 As shown, it can be circular, wavy, flat spiral, etc.

[0058] In this embodiment, the thickness of the conductive material layer is 100 nm-500 μm, and the material of the conductive material layer includes any one of Ni, Cr, Au, Pt, Mo, and W, or an alloy formed by two or more of them.

[0059] In this embodiment, a pad 400 is further provided on the first surface of the first supporting structure 100. The pad 400 is electrically connected to the resistive heating structure 300. The pad 400 may be a metal pad, etc. The size and other parameters of the pad are not specifically limited or described herein.

[0060] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 A method for preparing a MEMS structure atomizer core comprises:

[0061] 1) Using single crystal silicon as the raw material for making the support structure and cleaning the single crystal silicon;

[0062] 2) using an oxidation process to oxidize a portion of the surface of the single crystal silicon to form silicon oxide, and using the silicon oxide portion formed after oxidation as the first support structure and the remaining portion of the single crystal silicon as the second support structure;

[0063] 3) photolithographically forming the shape of a resistive heating structure on the surface of the first supporting structure;

[0064] 4) depositing a metal material on the photolithographic region of the surface of the first support structure to form a conductive material layer, and using the patterned conductive material layer as a resistive heating structure;

[0065] 5) forming an oil reservoir on the surface of the second support structure facing away from the first support structure by etching or other methods, with the oil reservoir and the resistance heating structure facing away from each other, and controlling the thickness of the second support structure remaining at the bottom of the oil reservoir to be 2-5 times the thickness of the first support structure;

[0066] 6) forming a plurality of oil guide holes in the area of the surface of the first support structure not covered by the resistance heating structure by etching or other methods, and ensuring that the oil guide holes continuously penetrate the first support structure and the second support structure in the thickness direction and are connected to the oil storage tank;

[0067] 7) Making a soldering pad on the surface of the first supporting structure, and electrically connecting the soldering pad to the resistive heating structure.

[0068] Example 2

[0069] See also Figure 6 The structure of a MEMS atomizer core in this embodiment is substantially the same as that in Example 1, except that: a second surface of the first support structure 100 in this embodiment, facing away from the second support structure 200, is further provided with a plurality of guide grooves, each of which is connected to at least one oil guide hole 220, and the depth of the guide groove is less than 1 / 2 of the thickness of the first support structure 100. Each guide groove is further filled with a guide layer 500, which is formed by combining metal particles and non-metallic particles. The metal particles are made of the same material as the resistive heating structure 300, and the non-metallic particles are made of the same material as the second support structure 200. The volume ratio of the metal particles in the guide layer 500 is 50-75%, and the resistive heating structure 300 is directly in contact with or connected to the guide layer. The particle size of the metal particles and the non-metallic particles are both micro-nanoscale, and the metal particles and the non-metallic particles can be produced by sintering, bonding, and lamination, which are not specifically limited here.

[0070] In this embodiment, the guide layer's excellent compatibility with the resistive heating structure and the silicon oxide support structure can be utilized to strengthen the bonding between the resistive heating structure and the silicon oxide support structure from a materials science perspective. Furthermore, the guide layer serves as an anchor point, mechanically strengthening the bond between the two and overcoming issues such as warping and detachment that may result from differences in thermal expansion coefficients between the resistive heating structure and the silicon oxide support structure. Furthermore, the presence of these guide grooves and guide layers can form a three-dimensional heating path within the silicon oxide support structure (the resistive heating structure is in surface contact with the silicon oxide support structure, resulting in surface heating, while the guide layers extend deep into the silicon oxide support structure, thus adding a heating dimension), further improving heating efficiency and uniformity.

[0071] It should be understood that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical concepts and features of the present invention. Their purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the contents of the present invention and implement them accordingly. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit and substance of the present invention are intended to be encompassed within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A MEMS structure atomizer core, characterized in that include: A support structure comprising a first support structure and a second support structure arranged in a stacked manner, the second support structure having a first surface facing away from the first support structure, the first support structure having a second surface facing away from the second support structure, the second surface being arranged opposite to the first surface, the first surface being provided with an oil storage tank, the second surface being provided with an oil guide hole communicating with the oil storage tank, the oil guide hole passing through both the first and second support structures; a resistance heating structure, the resistance heating structure being disposed on the second surface of the support structure, and when the resistance heating structure is connected to a power source, the fluid medium transported from the oil guide hole can contact the resistance heating structure and be heated and atomized; The second surface of the support structure has a first area and a second area, the resistance heating structure includes a patterned conductive material layer at least covering the first area, and the oil guide hole is at least provided in the second area; The second area of the second surface of the support structure is further provided with a plurality of guide grooves, each of the guide grooves is further connected to the oil guide hole, and the depth of the guide groove is less than 1 / 2 of the thickness of the first support structure; The guide groove is also filled with a guide layer, which is formed by combining metal particles and non-metal particles. The metal particles are made of the same material as the resistance heating structure, the non-metal particles are made of the same material as the second support structure, and the resistance heating structure is directly in contact with or connected to the guide layer.

2. The MEMS structure atomizer core according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thermal conductivity of the first supporting structure is greater than that of the second supporting structure. The oil storage tank is at least arranged in the second supporting structure, and the resistance heating structure is arranged on the first supporting structure.

3. The MEMS structure atomizer core according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first support structure is a silicon oxide support structure, and the thickness of the first support structure is 100nm-2000nm. The second support structure is a single crystal silicon support structure, and the thickness of the second support structure is 100μm-5000μm.

4. The MEMS structure atomizer core according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first supporting structure is formed by oxidizing a surface region of the second supporting structure.

5. The MEMS structure atomizer core according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second surface of the support structure is provided with a plurality of the oil guide holes, and the plurality of the oil guide holes are distributed in an array.

6. The MEMS structure atomizer core according to claim 5, characterized in that: The cross-sectional shape of the oil guide hole includes any one of a circle, an ellipse, a square, a triangle, and a crisscross shape, or a combination of two or more thereof.

7. The MEMS structure atomizer core according to claim 5, characterized in that: The plurality of oil guide holes are distributed in a square, S-shaped or hole-shaped configuration.

8. The MEMS structure atomizer core according to claim 5, characterized in that: The diameter of the oil guide holes is 1 μm-500 μm, and the gap between adjacent oil guide holes is 1 μm-500 μm.

9. The MEMS structure atomizer core according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the conductive material layer is 100 nm-500 μm.

10. The MEMS structure atomizer core according to claim 9, characterized in that: The conductive material layer may be made of any one of Ni, Cr, Au, Pt, Mo, and W, or an alloy of two or more thereof.

11. The method for preparing a MEMS structure atomizer core according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that include: forming a patterned conductive material layer on the second surface of the support structure as a resistive heating structure; An oil storage groove is formed on the first surface of the support structure, and an oil guide hole is formed at the bottom of the oil storage groove and penetrates the support structure, so that the fluid medium transported from the oil guide hole can contact the conductive material layer.

12. The preparation method according to claim 11, characterized in that Specifically include: Oxidizing a portion of the single crystal silicon near the second surface of the support structure to form silicon oxide, and using the oxidized silicon oxide as the first support structure and the remaining unoxidized portion as the second support structure; An oil storage tank is formed on the first surface of the support structure, and the entire oil storage tank is disposed within the second support structure. The oil guide hole is formed at the bottom of the oil storage tank, and the oil guide hole continuously passes through the second support structure and the first support structure. A resistance heating structure is formed on the surface of the first supporting structure.

13. The preparation method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: Specifically include: First, a plurality of guide grooves are formed on the surface of the first support structure so that the guide grooves are connected to the oil guide holes. Then, a guide layer containing metal particles and non-metal particles is formed in the guide grooves, wherein the metal particles are made of the same material as the resistance heating structure, and the non-metal particles are made of the same material as the second support structure. The resistance heating structure is formed on the surface of the first supporting structure, and the resistance heating structure is directly in contact with or connected to the guide layer.

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