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Imprinting a needle array on a polycarbonate substrate

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Abstract

A micro-needle array was fabricated on a polycarbonate (PC) substrate using an electroformed-Ni mold with a conical concave pattern. The diameter and length of each needle were 50 μm and 135 μm, respectively. The needle array pattern of the electroformed-Ni mold was produced by combining a grayscale mask for X-ray lithography with Ni electroforming technology. The X-ray grayscale mask was composed of Si absorbers and a SU-8 membrane. Each Si absorber had a three-dimensional cone shape rather than a rectangular shape. Threedimensional Si structures were formed to etch an active Si layer in a silicon-on-insulator wafer using a taperedtrench etching technology. Beamline BL-4 in the TERAS synchrotron radiation facility at AIST was used for the Xray lithography experiments. X-rays that penetrated the X-ray grayscale mask irradiated a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) sheet. Pt was deposited on the PMMA structure after developing, and Ni was electroformed on it. The electroformed-Ni object was processed by grinding to complete a Ni mold. Finally, the micro-needle array was fabricated by thermal-imprinting on a 0.5-mm thick PC sheet with the electroformed Ni mold.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Manufacturing Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-2-1, Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibarakil, Japan, 305-8564

    Harutaka Mekaru & Masaharu Takahashi

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  1. Harutaka Mekaru
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  2. Masaharu Takahashi
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Correspondence to Harutaka Mekaru.

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Mekaru, H., Takahashi, M. Imprinting a needle array on a polycarbonate substrate. Int. J. Precis. Eng. Manuf. 10, 79–83 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-009-0012-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-009-0012-5

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