US8865288B2
Active / In Force
US
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Micro-needle arrays having non-planar tips and methods of manufacture thereof
Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation Inc
•
Filing: 2007-05-29
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Granted: 2014-10-21
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Expires: 2027-05-29
Abstract
Abstract A micro-needle array having tips disposed along a non-planar surface is formed by shaping the wafer surface into a non-planar surface to define the tips of the micro-needles. A plurality of trenches are cut into the wafer to form a plurality of columns having tops corresponding to the non-planar surface. The columns are rounded and sharpened by etching to form the micro-needles.
Inventors
- 👤 Rajmohan Bhandari
- 👤 Sandeep Negi
- 👤 Florian Solzbacher
- 👤 Richard A. Normann
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 03:01
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61M; A61M37/00; A61M37/0015; A61M2037/0046; A61M2037/0053; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24174; Y10T428/24182; Y10T428/24479; Y10T428/24612
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
193 words
A method of fabricating an array of micro-needles having tips disposed along a non-planar surface comprising: providing a wafer which is non-flexible; shaping a top surface of the wafer into a non-planar surface; cutting a first plurality of trenches into the non-planar surface, wherein the first plurality of trenches are uniformly spaced; cutting a second plurality of trenches into the non-planar surface to intersect the first plurality of trenches to form a plurality of columns having tops defined by the non-planar surface and wherein the second plurality of trenches are uniformly spaced such that the plurality of columns have a uniform width; and etching the plurality of columns to round the columns and sharpen the tops into needle tips to form the array of micro-needles such that tips of the micro-needles are disposed substantially along the non-planar surface, wherein the tip surface is a three-dimensional curve and the micro-needles are electrically conductive and electrically insulated from each other, and wherein the three-dimensional curve is a continuous function defined by z=f(x,y) where z is a height of the micro-needles as a function of horizontal location x and y, and the micro-needles are solid throughout.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
193 words
A method of fabricating an array of micro-needles having tips disposed along a non-planar surface comprising: providing a wafer which is non-flexible; shaping a top surface of the wafer into a non-planar surface; cutting a first plurality of trenches into the non-planar surface, wherein the first plurality of trenches are uniformly spaced; cutting a second plurality of trenches into the non-planar surface to intersect the first plurality of trenches to form a plurality of columns having tops defined by the non-planar surface and wherein the second plurality of trenches are uniformly spaced such that the plurality of columns have a uniform width; and etching the plurality of columns to round the columns and sharpen the tops into needle tips to form the array of micro-needles such that tips of the micro-needles are disposed substantially along the non-planar surface, wherein the tip surface is a three-dimensional curve and the micro-needles are electrically conductive and electrically insulated from each other, and wherein the three-dimensional curve is a continuous function defined by z=f(x,y) where z is a height of the micro-needles as a function of horizontal location x and y, and the micro-needles are solid throughout.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of cutting a first plurality of trenches and cutting a second plurality of trenches comprises varying a depth of the trenches so that bases of the columns define a second non-planar surface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 2 wherein cutting a first plurality of trenches and cutting a second plurality of trenches each comprise varying a depth of the trenches so that bases of the columns define a second non-planar surface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of claim 1 wherein shaping the top surface of the wafer into the non-planar surface comprises: cutting a plurality of trenches of varying depth into the top surface, the depth of the trenches corresponding to the non-planar surface; and etching the top surface to remove material left between the trenches to form the non-planar surface.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 1 wherein shaping a top surface of the wafer into a non-planar surface comprises forming a three-dimensional surface curved in two different directions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the first plurality of trenches and the second plurality of trenches are cut at angles of substantially 90 degrees to each other.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising: cutting a third plurality of trenches into a back surface of the wafer; and filling the third plurality trenches with an insulating material.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 7 wherein the insulating material is glass.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 7 wherein cutting a plurality of trenches into a back surface of the wafer comprises varying depth of the trenches to correspond to the non-planar surface.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 9 wherein cutting the first plurality of trenches into the non-planar surface and cutting the second plurality of trenches into the non-planar surface each comprise cutting to a depth sufficient to intersect the third plurality of trenches.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1 further using the wafer to form a mold.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional curve is concave or convex.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
99 words
A micro-needle array having tips disposed in a non-planar arrangement comprising: a substrate which is non-flexible; and a plurality of micro-needles each having a base and a tip, and are solid throughout each micro-needle, the bases of the micro-needles being supported by the substrate and the tips of the micro-needles defining a non-planar tip surface said tip surface being a three-dimensional curve which is a continuous function defined by z=f(x,y) where z is a height of the micro-needles as a function of horizontal location x and y, wherein the micro-needles are electrically conductive and electrically insulated from each other.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
99 words
A micro-needle array having tips disposed in a non-planar arrangement comprising: a substrate which is non-flexible; and a plurality of micro-needles each having a base and a tip, and are solid throughout each micro-needle, the bases of the micro-needles being supported by the substrate and the tips of the micro-needles defining a non-planar tip surface said tip surface being a three-dimensional curve which is a continuous function defined by z=f(x,y) where z is a height of the micro-needles as a function of horizontal location x and y, wherein the micro-needles are electrically conductive and electrically insulated from each other.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
The micro-needle array of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of micro-needles are substantially parallel.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
The micro-needle array of claim 13 , wherein the substrate is formed of glass and the micro-needles are formed of silicon.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
15 words
The micro-needle array of claim 13 , wherein the substrate is formed of biodegradable plastic.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
The micro-needle array of claim 13 , further comprising a conductive coating disposed on the micro-needles.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The micro-needle array of claim 17 , further comprising a non-conductive coating disposed over the conductive coating except at a tip portion of the micro-needles.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
19 words
The micro-needle array of claim 13 , wherein the substrate and the micro-needles are formed of a common material.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
18 words
The micro-needle array of claim 13 , wherein the bases of the micro-needles define a non-planar base surface.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
14 words
The micro-needle array of claim 13 , wherein the non-planar tip surface is convex.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
14 words
The micro-needle array of claim 13 , wherein the non-planar tip surface is concave.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
17 words
The micro-needle array of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of micro-needles have a uniform base width.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2017-10-20 | 2018-04-21 | 2018-10-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2021-10-20 | 2022-04-21 | 2022-10-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2025-10-20 | 2026-04-21 | 2026-10-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |