Biomedical electrochemical sensor array and method of fabrication

• US 20050236361A1
• Filed: 03/14/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Ufer, Stefan, Wilsey, Christopher D.
• Application Number:
  US11/079,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20050236361A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 216/41
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3272 Test elements therefor, i.e. disposable laminated substrates with electrodes, reagent and channels optical biosensors G01N33/52
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0023 by exposure and development of a photosensitive insulating layer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/281 by means of a preformed insulating foil H05K3/284 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods for fabricating a plurality of sensors on a flexible substrate, with each sensor having associated electrodes and at least one well include (a) providing a flexible substrate material layer having a surface area defined by a length and width thereof; (b) forming a plurality of sensor elements onto the flexible substrate material layer, each sensor element comprising at least one metallic electrode; (c) disposing at least one coverlay sheet layer over the flexible substrate sandwiching the sensor elements therebetween; (d) laminating the at least one coverlay sheet layer having an associated thickness to the flexible substrate; and (e) removing predetermined regions of the laminated coverlay sheet layer from the flexible substrate layer to expose a portion of the underlying metallic pattern of each sensor element and to define a well with a depth corresponding to the thickness of the coverlay sheet layer. The disclosure also describes multi-layer laminated flexible sensors and arrays of sensors with wells having enhanced well capacity and/or depth.

Claims

1-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A flexible sensor comprising:

a flexible substrate layer including a first surface;

an electrode layer comprising a conductive pattern of metal disposed onto the first surface of said substrate layer; and

a flexible photodefined dry film coverlay sheet attached to the first surface of said substrate layer, said coverlay sheet defining a testing chamber positioned to expose at least a portion of said electrode layer.

42. The sensor of claim 41 in which said coverlay sheet is laminated directly to said substrate layer without an intermediately positioned adhesive.

43. The sensor of claim 41 in which said coverlay sheet has a thickness of 25-250 μ

m.

44. The sensor of claim 41 and which includes a second coverlay overlying and secured to said coverlay sheet.

45. The sensor of claim 44 in which said second coverlay comprises a first photosensitive material and the coverlay sheet comprises a second, different photosensitive material.

46. The sensor of claim 44 in which said second coverlay forms a ceiling over at least a portion of the testing chamber defined by said coverlay sheet.

47. The sensor of claim 41 in which said coverlay sheet further defines a passageway extending from an open end to the testing chamber.

48. The sensor of claim 47 and which includes a second coverlay overlying and secured to said coverlay sheet, said second coverlay forming a ceiling over at least a portion of the testing chamber defined by said coverlay sheet.

49. The sensor of claim 41 in which said coverlay sheet is selected from the group consisting of photoimageable polymers, acrylics, flexible composites, and derivatives thereof.

50. A method for fabricating a sensor with electrodes on a flexible substrate comprising:

providing a flexible substrate layer including a first surface;

forming on the first surface of said substrate layer an electrode layer comprising a conductive pattern of metal;

attaching a flexible photoimageable dry film coverlay sheet to the first surface of the substrate layer and covering at least a portion of the electrode layer; and

removing by photoimaging techniques a predetermined region of the coverlay sheet to define a testing chamber positioned to expose at least a portion of the electrode layer.

51. The method of claim 50 in which said attaching comprises laminating the coverlay sheet directly to the substrate layer without an intermediately positioned adhesive.

52. The method of claim 50 in which the coverlay sheet has a thickness of 25-250 μ

m.

53. The method of claim 50 and which further includes attaching a second coverlay overlying and secured to the coverlay sheet.

54. The method of claim 53 in which the second coverlay comprises a first photoimageable material and the coverlay sheet comprises a second, different photoimageable material.

55. The method of claim 54 in which the second coverlay forms a ceiling over at least a portion of the testing chamber defined by the coverlay sheet.

56. The method of claim 50 in which said removing further comprises removing a portion of the coverlay sheet to define a passageway extending from an open end to the testing chamber.

57. The method of claim 56 and which includes attaching a second coverlay overlying and secured to the coverlay sheet, the second coverlay forming a ceiling over at least a portion of the testing chamber defined by the coverlay sheet.

58. The method of claim 50 in which the coverlay sheet is selected from the group consisting of photoimageable polymers, acrylics, flexible composites, and derivatives thereof.

59. The method of claim 50 in which said removing comprises:

selectively exposing at least one predetermined region of the coverlay sheet to ultraviolet light, and

introducing a liquid solution thereon to remove the portion of the coverlay sheet in the predetermined region.