Method for manufacturing fluidic structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9437922-B2
Application number	US-201514617756-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2015
Priority date	Sep 23, 2010
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a fluidic structure is disclosed. A cavity that defines a shape of an element of the fluidic structure within a material is formed. The cavity is filled with liquid metal. The cavity is sealed. The fluidic structure behaves as an antenna. A fluidic antenna includes a material that defines a shape of the fluidic antenna by a cavity filled with liquid metal formed within the material, where the material further defines at least one mechanical property of the fluidic antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a fluidic structure, comprising:
forming a cavity that defines a shape of an element of the fluidic structure within a material;
filling the cavity with liquid metal, wherein filling the cavity with liquid metal comprises filling the cavity with a gallium-based liquid metal at an ambient manufacturing facility temperature; and
sealing the cavity, where the fluidic structure behaves as a conductive electrical structure.

2. The method of manufacturing of claim 1 , where filling the cavity comprises:
injecting the liquid metal into the cavity at an inlet location of the cavity; and
terminating injection of the liquid metal into the cavity in response to the liquid metal flowing toward an outlet location of the cavity.

3. The method of manufacturing of claim 1 , where filling the cavity comprises:
drawing the liquid metal into the cavity at an inlet location of the cavity via a vacuum applied to an outlet location of the cavity; and
terminating drawing the liquid metal into the cavity via the applied vacuum in response to the liquid metal flowing toward the outlet location of the cavity.

4. The method of manufacturing of claim 1 , where the material comprises one of a fluid and a paste and forming the cavity that defines the shape of the element of the fluidic conductive electrical structure within the material comprises:
forming an embedded capillary within the one of the fluid and the paste; and
hardening the one of the fluid and the paste.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the conductive electrical structure comprises a resonant electrical structure.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the resonant electrical structure comprises an antenna.

7. A method of manufacturing a fluidic structure, comprising:
forming a cavity that defines a shape of an element of the fluidic structure within a material;
filling the cavity with liquid metal; and
sealing the cavity, where the fluidic structure behaves as a conductive electrical structure, wherein forming the cavity that defines the shape of the element of the fluidic structure within the material comprises forming the cavity that defines the shape of the element of the fluidic structure within the material via one of lithography, injection molding, imprinting, molding, stamping, and milling the material.

8. The method of manufacturing of claim 7 , where the material comprises a polymer-based material and forming the cavity that defines the shape of the element of the fluidic structure within the material comprises:
forming the cavity within a polymer-based material portion; and
coupling a polymer-based bonding layer material to the polymer-based material portion that seals a length of the cavity.

9. A method of manufacturing a fluidic structure, comprising:
forming a cavity that defines a shape of an element of the fluidic structure within a material;
filling the cavity with liquid metal; and
sealing the cavity, wherein the fluidic structure behaves as a conductive electrical structure, where the material is coupled to a circuit assembly and filling the cavity comprises filling the cavity with the liquid metal in situ while the material is coupled to the circuit assembly.

Assignees

• Univ North Carolina State

Inventors

• Dickey Michael David
• Lazzi Gianluca
• So Ju-Hee
• Thelen Jacob
• Qusba Amit
• Hayes Gerard James

Classifications

• H05K13/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing or adjusting assemblages of electric components · CPC title

• Y10T29/49002

  Electrical device making · CPC title

• Y10T29/49117

  Conductor or circuit manufacturing · CPC title

• Y10T29/49016

  Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making · CPC title

• H01Q9/20

  Two collinear substantially straight active elements; Substantially straight single active elements (H01Q9/28 takes precedence) · CPC title