A. David Johnson
John D. Busch
TiNi Alloy Co., 1621 Neptune Dr., San Leandro, CA 94577
Curtis A. Ray
Charles Sloan
Microflow Analytical, Inc., Dublin, CA 94568
Microns-thick sputtered films of TiNi shape memory alloy deposited on silicon substrates have been capable of forceful electrical actuation. Present devices are made to millimeter scale. Research under way concentrates on reducing component size to hundreds of microns. Combined with springs, orifices, and ports, these devices made miniature valves for pneumatic and fluid control. Design, fabrication, and flow characteristics of a valve of 0.25 cm[sup 3] in size are discussed. Other applications for this technology will also be addressed, including microswitches and movable micromirrors.