Hollow silicon microneedle fabrication using advanced plasma etch technologies for applications in transdermal drug delivery.

A novel production process flow is presented here for the manufacture of hollow silicon microneedles using deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE) technology. The patent-pending three-step process flow has been developed to produce multiple arrays of sharp-tipped, hollow microneedles, which facilitate easy insertion and controlled fluid injection into excised skin samples. A bevelled tip and vertical sidewalls for the microneedle have been achieved with good uniformity, despite >45% open etch area.