A two-stage discrete peristaltic micropump

We demonstrate a discrete, two-stage peristaltic micropump for applications in microfluidics. Prototypes are fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with water as the working fluid. Off-wafer compressed nitrogen gas provides the actuation energy. The device may be operated in three- or two-stage modes for direct comparison. We show that two-stage pumps have comparable flow rates to the three-stage counterparts, and produce similar to2/3 the static head. Our results suggest that two-stage pumps may be a viable choice under low backpressure conditions where available on-chip area or the number of external connections is limited. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.