Patent ID: 6955777

Claim:
A method of forming a plate for the substantially direct passage through a set of apertures of a precision volume of at least one liquid substance from a first side to a second side comprising the steps of: forming a plurality of vertical apertures in a first ceramic greensheet by a material removal technique; forming a plurality of horizontal apertures in a second ceramic greensheet by a material removal technique; forming a plurality of vertical apertures in a third ceramic greensheet by a material removal technique, in which at least some of said horizontal apertures in said second greensheet connect a first aperture in said first greensheet extending in a substantially straight line through said third greensheet with a related aperture in said third greensheet so that a substance entering one of said apertures in said first ceramic greensheet exits in both said first aperture and said related aperture; filling at least some of said apertures with a filler material containing a fugitive material; laminating said first, second and third ceramic greensheets together; and sintering said first, second and third greensheets, thereby forming said plate and releasing said fugitive material, in which: said fugitive material combines with material in said greensheets, leaving a residue during a sintering process that forms a non-porous liner on the interior of said vertical apertures in said first and third greensheets and said horizontal apertures in said second greensheet, whereby said liquid does not react with said first second or third ceramic greensheet.