Design optimization of an electrostatic micropump.

An electrostatic micropump is investigated by means of computational techniques. Due to the complexity of the device, results are obtained stepwise, by gradually introducing in the model the different physics involved. Electro-mechanical static simulations are performed to evaluate the occurrence of membrane movement and pull-in phenomena. Then, a fullycoupled electrostatic-fluid-structure dynamic model is proposed, with the aim of appreciate the device performances in a multi-physic framework. A strong attention is paid to the technological process to be adopted for the realization of the device. Device fabrication guidelines are also presented.