Hollow metallic micromachined needles with multiple output ports

In this paper, hollow metallic micromachined needles with multiple output ports are designed, fabricated, characterized, and packaged. The hollow metallic needles include design features such as tapered needle tips and multiple output ports on the bottom and top of each needle. The needle tip and shaft are formed by microelectroformed metal. The now characteristics of the needles are currently being experimentally investigated and modeled using a finite element numerical model. The experimental results and theoretical models will be presented as part of this paper. The micromachined needles can be fabricated on a variety of substrates and can use micro-electroformed palladium as the structural material. The use of palladium as a structural material provides high mechanical strength and durability, as well as, biocompatibility for use in biomedical applications. The cross-sectional dimensions of individual needle tips begin at less than 10 mu m in width and 15 mu m in height and then taper to 200 mu m in width and 60 mu m in height. The significance of this work includes the development of hollow metallic micromachined needles for biomedical applications, as well as, a discussion of structural, fluidic, and packaging design considerations.