Fabrication methods and structures for micro-reservoir devices
First Claim
1. A method for making a multi-reservoir device comprising:
- patterning one or more photoresist layers on a substrate;
depositing onto the substrate at least one metal layer by physical vapor deposition;
forming a plurality of reservoir caps and conductive traces from the at least one metal layer by using the one or more photoresist layers in a liftoff process or wet chemical etching;
removing the one or more photoresist layers using a liftoff process;
forming a plurality of reservoirs in the substrate;
loading each reservoir with reservoir contents; and
sealing each reservoir.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods are provided for making a multi-reservoir device comprising (i) patterning one or more photoresist layers on a substrate; (ii) depositing onto the substrate at least one metal layer by a sputtering process to form a plurality of reservoir caps and conductive traces; (iii) removing the photoresist layers using a liftoff process; (iv) forming a plurality of reservoirs in the substrate; (v) loading each reservoir with reservoir contents (such as a drug or sensor); and (vi) sealing each reservoir. Optionally, the reservoir cap comprises a first conductive metal layer coated with one or more protective noble metal films. To enhance the resistance of the substrate (e.g., a silicon substrate) to etching in vivo, the interior sidewalls of the reservoirs optionally can include a protective coating (e.g., gold, platinum, carbon, silicon carbide, silicon dioxide, and platinum silicide), or sidewalls comprising silicon can be doped with boron or another impurity.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A method for making a multi-reservoir device comprising:
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patterning one or more photoresist layers on a substrate;
depositing onto the substrate at least one metal layer by physical vapor deposition;
forming a plurality of reservoir caps and conductive traces from the at least one metal layer by using the one or more photoresist layers in a liftoff process or wet chemical etching;
removing the one or more photoresist layers using a liftoff process;
forming a plurality of reservoirs in the substrate;
loading each reservoir with reservoir contents; and
sealing each reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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22. A microfabrication method comprising:
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patterning a bilayer of photoresist on a substrate, wherein the bilayer photoresist comprises an upper layer and a lower layer, the lower layer being disposed on top of the substrate and the upper layer being disposed on top of the lower layer;
etching the lower layer away in select areas to form one or more bridges comprising areas of the upper layer over and spaced apart from the substrate;
depositing onto the substrate at least one metal layer by physical vapor deposition, wherein the one or more bridges provide a shielding effect to produce a metal film or patterned metal feature with a thickness variation within a single metal layer, without etching the metal layer. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A method for making a multi-reservoir device comprising:
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depositing a layer of a nitride material on a silicon substrate;
patterning the nitride layer with photoresist;
etching the silicon substrate using an RIE process;
stripping off the photoresist;
anistropically etching the silicon substrate;
forming metal traces by depositing and patterning a first metal layer using a liftoff technique;
forming reservoir caps by depositing and patterning a second metal layer using a liftoff technique to form a structure;
applying a passivation layer onto the structure; and
etching the dielectric layer and the metal layer from under the reservoir cap. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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31. An implantable medical device for the controlled delivery or exposure of reservoir contents comprising:
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a substrate;
a plurality of discrete reservoirs in the substrate, wherein the reservoirs have interior walls and at least one opening in the substrate;
reservoir contents disposed in the reservoirs;
reservoir caps closing the at least one opening to seal the reservoir contents in the reservoirs; and
control circuitry for selectively disintegrating the reservoir caps to release or expose the reservoir contents in vivo, wherein the interior walls of the reservoirs comprise a material to protect the substrate in vivo. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34)
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35. An implantable medical device for the controlled delivery or exposure of reservoir contents comprising:
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a substrate;
a plurality of reservoirs in the substrate, wherein the reservoirs have interior walls and at least one opening in the substrate;
reservoir contents disposed in the reservoirs;
reservoir caps closing the at least one opening to seal the reservoir contents in the reservoirs; and
control circuitry for selectively disintegrating the reservoir caps to release or expose the reservoir contents in vivo, wherein the reservoir caps comprises a first conductive metal layer coated with one or more protective layers comprising a noble metal film. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification