Patent ID: 7449122

Claim:
A method of fabricating an electrokinetic pump comprising the steps of: providing a first material having a first surface and a second surface; coupling a second material to the second surface of the first material; forming a plurality of support structures in the second material, with a support aperture formed in between each support structure; forming a plurality of capillaries through the first material, wherein each capillary includes a pore aperture in the first surface and the second surface of the first material; oxidizing the first surface and the second surface with an insulation agent, wherein an inner surface of each capillary is oxidized with a thin film of the insulation agent; and coupling a first electrode to the first surface and a second electrode to the second surface, wherein a plurality of the pore apertures in the second surface of the first material are disposed in between the support structures and are fluidly coupled to the same support aperture, enabling a liquid to flow from the same support aperture into the plurality of the pore apertures in the second surface of the first material disposed in between the support structures, and wherein a voltage potential generated between the first electrode and the second electrode drives the liquid to flow through the plurality of capillaries.