1. A method of manufacturing a monolithic thermal fluid jet nozzle, preferably for electronically controlled propulsion of fluids wherein the method comprises the steps of:
arranging said nozzle on a substrate on which at least one dielectric layer and at least one layer of metal or metal strip have been deposited,
removing at least part of the deposited metal layer, leaving channels adjacent to said at least one dielectric layer or in-between dielectric layers, for the transportation of fluids,
applying at least one heating element to the channel for fluid propulsion, which element superheats the fluid to form a vapor bubble which ejects at least part of the surrounding fluid through the nozzle.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one layer of metal or metal strip is patterned or printed.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal consist of aluminum, tungsten, nickel, copper or any combination thereof.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of silicon, III-V materials, glass, quartz or any combination thereof.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer is made of thermal silicon oxides (silicon monoxide, silicon dioxide), deposited silicon oxides, deposited silicon nitride, deposited silicon oxynitride, plastics, polymers or any combination thereof.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises defining the channel layout by metal strips or wires of a CMOS, NMOS or PMOS compatible or CMOS, NMOS or PMOS processed wafer.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal strips or wires are exposed by forming a pad-like structure or cutting or grinding the substrate or part of it so as to prepare for the creation of an etch window.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one active heater element is applied in close proximity to the channel, locally supplying heat to the channel.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the heater element is made of CMOS, NMOS or PMOS gate polysilicon.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said metal is removed by sacrificial metal etching.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is removed below the section of the channel containing the heating element so as to reduce the thermal losses to the substrate.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is removed through anisotropic etching.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the polysilicon heating elements is protected from aggressive fluids transported in the channel, by a layer of the same material used as a diffusion barrier in the metal to silicon contact in the CMOS, NMOS or PMOS process.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the lateral profile of the nozzle is defined through dry etching.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein an outermost part of the nozzle is released from the substrate through bulk micromachining (EDP: ethylenediamine, pyrocatcehol, pyrazin, and water solution).
16. The method of claim 1, wherein an outermost part of the nozzle is released from the substrate through TMAH (tetramethyl ammoniumhydroxide and water solution).
17. The method of claim 1, wherein an outermost part of the nozzle is released from the substrate through KOH (potassium hydroxide).
18. The method of claim 1, wherein electronic circuits are integrated on the same chip as the nozzles.
19. The method of claim 1, wherein an array of nozzles are arranged on one chip.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein said array of nozzles form a multi- dimensional nozzle array.
21. A method of fabricating a tube for liquid medium supply in a semiconductor application, preferably a monolithic thermal fluid jet nozzle, wherein the method comprises the steps oft
arranging a least a channel on a substrate,
applying a first layer on the substrate,
depositing a sacrificial metal,
burnishing down said metal until substantially only the metal in the channel is remained,
depositing a second layer over the metal, forming an upper part of the tube, and
etching off the sacrificial metal to obtain the tube.
22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the channel is etched on trio substrate.
23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the channel is countersunk in a deposited material on the substrate.
24. A tube for liquid medium supply in a semiconductor application, preferably a monolithic thermal fluid jet nozzle, comprising:
a substrate,
a supporting layer,
a channel etched into said substrate or countersunk in a deposited layer, and
a covering layer, which together with the supporting layer forms a tube.
25. A tube according to claim 24, wherein said substrate is silicon.
26. A tube according to claim 24, wherein said supporting layer is of a thermal oxide deposited oxide or nitride.
27. A monolithic thermal fluid jet nozzle, comprising a tube according to claim 24 and further including a heating clement arranged as diffused resistor in the substrate or as a deposited resistor under or in a lower dielectric layer, or on or inside a dielectric layer.
28. A monolithic thermal fluid jet nozzle for the electronically controlled propulsion of a fluid wherein said nozzle consists of.
a substrate, having deposited on it at least one dielectric layer and at least one layer of metal or metal strip,
at least one channel adjacent to said at least one dielectric layer for the transportation of fluid, said channel consisting of said deposited metal layer at least part of which is removed,
heater clement for propulsion of the fluid, said heater element being applied to the channel, for superbeating which forms a vapour bubble in said fluid to eject the at least part of the fluid through the nozzle.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A securement arrangement for securing a hanger within a subsea wellhead comprising monitoring means for monitoring an annular space located below the hanger, the annular space being located between an outer surface of an inner casing and an inner surface of an outer casing, the monitoring means comprising a sleeve securable within the wellhead wherein the sleeve includes a monitoring fluid passageway which fluidly connects the annular space to a monitoring aperture located above the hanger.
2. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the sleeve is arranged to encompass the hanger.
3. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the hanger comprises a casing secured at a lower end thereof and the casing secured from the hanger provides the inner casing, the outer surface of which defines the annular space together with an inner surface of an outer casing.
4. The securement arrangement for of claim 1, in which the sleeve comprises a section of a casing.
5. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the sleeve comprises a casing secured at a lower end thereof and the casing secured from the sleeve provides the outer casing, the inner surface of which defines the annular space together with an outer surface of an inner casing.
6. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the sleeve is arranged to secure the hanger within the wellhead.
7. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the sleeve comprises first securement means and second securement means to secure the hanger in a first position and a second position.
8. The securement arrangement of claim 7, in which a lower end of the sleeve locates below a sealing surface of the hanger in the first position and in the second position.
9. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the monitoring fluid passageway provides a fluid communication by-pass to enable fluid to be introduced into andor extracted from the annulus.
10. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the monitoring means comprises a monitoring hanger and, in which, the monitoring hanger comprises a fluid passageway which is aligned with an aperture of the monitoring fluid passageway in the sleeve and wherein the monitoring hanger further comprises a monitoring port for connection with communication means to communicate from the subsea wellhead to the surface.
11. The securement arrangement of claim 10, in which the communication means is selectively engageable and disengageable with the monitoring port.
12. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the monitoring means comprises an isolation sleeve which is securable above the hanger and wherein the isolation sleeve seals an open aperture provided by the monitoring fluid passageway within the sleeve in which the hanger is located.
13. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the securement arrangement comprises a clamping arrangement for clamping the hanger.
14. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the securement arrangement includes a first clamping arrangement for clamping the hanger and a second clamping arrangement for clamping a part of the monitoring means above the hanger.
15. The securement arrangement of claim 14, in which the second clamping arrangement is arranged a) to selectively clamp an isolation sleeve above the hanger; or b) to selectively clamp a monitoring hanger above the hanger.
16. (canceled)
17. The securement arrangement of claim 14, in which the first clamping arrangement and the second clamping arrangement are arranged to exert sufficient radial force to distort the sleeve inwardly to grip the hanger and to selectively grip either the isolation sleeve or the monitoring hanger.
18. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the sleeve is arranged, in use, to locate between an inner surface of a part of the clamping arrangement and an outer surface of the hanger.
19. The securement arrangement of claim 14, in which the sleeve is arranged, in use, to locate between an inner surface of a part of the second clamping arrangement and selectively either an outer surface of the isolation sleeve or the monitoring hanger.
20. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the monitoring fluid passageway does not penetrate a casing of the wellhead.
21. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the sleeve comprises a cylindrical section of a casing including an inner surface and an outer surface and wherein the monitoring fluid passageway is provided in the sleeve and includes an inlet on the inner surface of the sleeve, a extending section which connects the inlet to an outlet, and the outlet being located on the inner surface of the sleeve.
22. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the monitoring fluid passageway provides remediation means remedying pressure build-up in the annulus.
23. The securement arrangement of claim 22, in which the remediation means is arranged a) to bleed off the pressure from the annulus; or b) to introduce a remediation fluid to seal a part of the annulus.
24. (canceled)
25. The securement arrangement of claim 1, in which the securement arrangement for securing the hanger within the subsea wellhead comprises first securement means to secure the hanger in a first position and second securement means to secure the hanger in a second position, the first securement means being arranged, in use, to provide a fluid passageway over an outer sealing surface of the hanger whilst the hanger is retained in the first position such that fluid can flow around the outer sealing surface of the hanger, the second securement means comprising a clamping arrangement in order to provide a seal around the hanger whilst the hanger is secured in the second position such that fluid cannot flow around the outer sealing surface of the hanger.
26. (canceled)
27. A method of monitoring an annular space located below a hanger of a subsea wellhead, the method comprising securing a sleeve within the subsea wellhead wherein the sleeve includes a monitoring fluid passageway which fluidly connects the annular space to a monitoring aperture located above the hanger, the annular space being located between an outer surface of an inner casing and an inner surface of an outer casing.
28-30. (canceled)