Manufacturing electrochemical sensor modules

• US 9,504,162 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pepex Biomedical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pepex Biomedical, Inc.
• Inventors: Say, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tugbang, A. Dexter
• Application Number:
  US14/118,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20150128412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00317 Packaging optical devices
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00333 Aspects relating to packaging of MEMS devices, not covered by groups B81C1/00269 - B81C1/00325
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00888 Multistep processes involving only mechanical separation, e.g. grooving followed by cleaving
• 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: H01L 21/306 Chemical or electrical treatment, e.g. electrolytic etching to form insulating layers H01L21/31
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6836 Wafer tapes, e.g. grinding or dicing support tapes adhesive tapes in general C09J7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/78 with subsequent division of the substrate into plural individual devices cutting to change the surface-physical characteristics or shape of semiconductor bodies H01L21/304
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/82 by forming build-up interconnects at chip-level, e.g. for high density interconnects [HDI] interconnection structure between a plurality of semiconductor chips H01L23/5389
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/00 Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base

Abstract

Certain processes for manufacturing an electrochemical sensor module include etching a Silicon wafer to form precursor sensor bodies, disposing sensor fibers along rows of the precursor sensor bodies, securing a rigid layer over the sensor fibers, dividing the wafer, rigid layer, and sensor fibers into individual precursor sensor bodies, and joining each precursor sensor body to a component body to form sensor modules.

Claims

1. A method of installing sensors in sensor modules, the method comprising:

providing a first wafer and a continuous length of at least a first composite sensor fiber;

removing material from the first wafer to form features of a plurality of precursor sensor bodies;

disposing at least the first composite sensor fiber across the features of the precursor sensor bodies;

coupling a rigid body to the first wafer;

separating the coupled first wafer and rigid body into a plurality of precursor sensor bodies by cutting the first wafer, the rigid body, and the first composite sensor fiber into segments; and

depositing conductive tracings on the first wafer prior to disposing the first composite sensor fiber across the features of the precursor sensor bodies.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a continuous length of a second composite sensor fiber; and

disposing the second composite sensor fiber across the features of the precursor sensor bodies adjacent to the first composite sensor fiber;

wherein separating the coupled first wafer and rigid body into the plurality of precursor sensor bodies also includes cutting the second composite sensor fiber into segments.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the segments of the first composite sensor fiber form working electrodes and the segments of the second composite sensor fiber form counter electrodes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein removing material from the first wafer to form features of the plurality of precursor sensor bodies comprises etching the first wafer to form the features.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein removing material from the first wafer to form features of the plurality of precursor sensor bodies comprises removing the material to form a well for each precursor sensor body to be formed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein coupling the rigid body to the first wafer comprises aligning apertures in the rigid body with the wells defined in the first wafer to form test chambers.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising joining each of the precursor sensor bodies to a component body that closes each respective test chamber.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising joining each of the precursor sensor bodies to a component body that includes a skin-piercing member.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein removing material from the first wafer to form the features of the precursor sensor bodies comprises forming multiple rows of the features of the precursor sensor bodies, each row including features of multiple precursor sensor bodies.