DRUG DELIVERY CHIP AND FABRICATING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100312229A1
• Filed: 01/28/2010
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Taiwan University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: National Taiwan University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Huang, Yu-Jie, Wang, Yao-Hong, Huang, Pen-Li, Lu, Shey-Shi, Wang, Tao, Yang, Yao-Joe, Liao, Hsin-Hung, Lin, Chii-Wann
• Granted Patent: US 8,460,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/891.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3523 using telemetric means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14 Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence

Abstract

A drug-delivery chip and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The drug-delivery chip has a main body having at least one drug receiving space individually formed with an opening for storing drugs therein; a thin film for sealing up the at least one drug receiving space; a first conductive wire connecting to one end of the thin film; a second conductive wire connecting to another end of the thin film; a signal-receiving module for receiving actuated signals; and a control module for applying voltages to first and second wire conductive s according to the actuated signal, thereby generating heat to break off the thin film for the release of a drug or drugs received in the at least one drug receiving space.

Claims

1. A drug-delivery chip, comprising:

a main body having at least one drug receiving space individually formed with an opening;

a thin film for sealing up the opening of the at least one drug receiving space;

a first conductive wire connected to one end of the thin film;

a second conductive wire connected to another end of the thin film;

a signal-receiving module for receiving actuated signals; and

a control module for applying voltages to the first conductive wire and the second conductive wire according to the actuated signals, thereby generating heat to break off the thin film for releasing a drug received in the at least one receiving space from the opening.

2. The drug-delivery chip of claim 1, wherein the actuated signals include check codes for the control module to identify whether the actuated signals are valid.

3. The drug-delivery chip of claim 1, wherein the thin film is a metal thin film.

4. The drug-delivery chip of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of drug receiving spaces and a plurality of switching units which are electrically connected to the control module and connected in one-to-one manner to the first conductive wires and the second conductive wires which are connected to the metal thin films sealing up the openings of the drug receiving spaces, wherein the actuated signals comprise address codes and the control module correspondingly turns on one of the switching units according to the address codes of the actuated signals so as to supply power to the first conductive wire and the second connective wire electrically connected to the turned-on one of the switching units, enabling the metal thin film connected to the first conductive wire and the second connective wire supplied with the power to be broken off, and allowing the one of the drug receiving spaces corresponding to the broken-off metal thin film to release the drug from the opening thereof.

5. The drug-delivery chip of claim 4, wherein the actuated signals further comprise check codes for the control module to identify whether the actuated signals are valid.

6. The drug-delivery chip of claim 3, wherein the resistance of the metal thin film is greater than the resistance of the first conductive wire or the second conductive wire.

7. The drug-delivery chip of claim 1 being a system-on-a-chip (SoC) fabricated by a CMOS process.

8. A drug-delivery chip, comprising:

a main body having at least one drug receiving space individually formed with an opening;

a first conductive wire connected to a side wall of the at least one drug receiving space;

a second conductive wire connected to another side wall of the at least one drug receiving space and spaced from the first conductive wire;

a thin film for sealing up the opening of the at least one drug receiving space;

a signal-receiving module for receiving actuated signals; and

a control module for applying voltages to the first conductive wire and the second conductive wire according to the actuated signals, thereby electrolyzing a drug received in the at least one drug receiving space and generating air to break off the thin film for releasing the drug from the opening of the at least one receiving space.

9. The drug-delivery chip of claim 8, wherein the side wall of the at least one drug receiving space connected to the first conductive wire is identical to the another side wall of the at least one drug receiving space connected to the second conductive wire.

10. The drug-delivery chip of claim 8, wherein the side wall of the at least one drug receiving space connected to the first conductive wire is opposed to the another side wall of the at least one drug receiving space connected to the second conductive wire.

11. The drug-delivery chip of claim 8, wherein the actuated signals comprise check codes for the control module to identify whether the actuated signals are valid.

12. The drug-delivery chip of claim 8, wherein the thin film is a protection layer of the drug-delivery chip.

13. The drug-delivery chip of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of drug receiving spaces and a plurality of switching units which are electrically connected to the control module and connected in one-to-one manner to the first conductive wires and the second conductive wires installed on either of the side walls of the drug receiving spaces, wherein the actuated signals comprise address codes and the control module correspondingly turns on one of the switching units according to the address codes of the actuated signals so as to supply power to the first conductive wire and the second connective wire electrically connected to the turned-on one of the switching units, enabling the protection layer to be broken off, and allowing the drug receiving spaces corresponding to the broken-off protection layer to release the drug.

14. The drug-delivery chip of claim 13, wherein the actuated signals further comprise check codes for the control module to identify whether the actuated signals are valid.

15. The drug-delivery chip of claim 8 being an SoC fabricated by a CMOS process.

16. A method of fabricating a drug-delivery chip, comprising the steps of:

providing a substrate and there being a stack structure comprising an insulation layer, a conductive wire layer having void spaces, and a protection layer on a first surface of the substrate;

etching the protection layer at a position corresponding to the void spaces of the conductive wire layer to form an opening;

forming a metal thin film on the conductive wire layer to seal up the opening, wherein the metal thin film has two ends respectively connected to the conductive wire layer on each of two sides of the opening and is electrically connected to a control module via the conductive wire layer;

etching the substrate and the insulation layer to form a drug receiving space and expose the metal thin film;

filling the drug receiving space with a drug; and

installing a sealing film on a second surface of the substrate to seal up the drug filled in the drug receiving space.

17. The method of claim 16, before the step of the etching the substrate and the insulation layer, further comprising polishing the second surface of the substrate to reduce the thickness of the substrate.

18. The method of claim 16, before the step of the filling the drug receiving space with the drug, further comprising installing a plate layer on the second surface of the substrate at a side edge opposed to a position where the drug receiving space is formed, to enlarge the capacity of the drug receiving space.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the resistance of the sealing film is greater than the resistance of the conductive wire layer.

20. A method of fabricating a drug-delivery chip, comprising the steps of:

providing a substrate and there being a stack structure comprising an insulation layer, a conductive wire layer having void spaces, and a protection layer on a first surface of the substrate;

etching the substrate and the insulation layer at a position corresponding to the void spaces of the conductive wire layer to form a drug receiving space;

filling the drug receiving space with a drug; and

installing a sealing film on a second surface of the substrate to seal up the drug filled in the drug receiving space.

21. The method of claim 20, before the step of the etching the substrate and the insulation layer, further comprising polishing the second surface of the substrate to reduce the thickness of the substrate.

22. The method of claim 20, before the step of the filling the drug receiving space with the drug, further comprising installing a plate layer on the second surface of the substrate at a side edge opposed to a position where the drug receiving space is formed, to enlarge the capacity of the drug receiving space.