1. A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising:
producing a first substrate with an electrode;
producing a second substrate with a through hole;
stacking the second substrate on the first substrate, with an insulating layer intervening between the first substrate and the second substrate;
making a hole reaching the electrode in the insulating layer under the through hole by etching the insulating layer with the second substrate as a mask; and
filling the through hole and the hole with conductive substance.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein an insulating film is formed on an inner surface of the through hole.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the insulating layer has a higher etching rate than that of the insulating film with respect to etchant used in etching the insulating layer.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein a material of the insulating film is selected from silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and organic silica.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein a conductive barrier film is formed on the insulating film.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the insulating layer has a higher etching rate than that of the conductive barrier film with respect to etchant used in etching the insulating layer.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein a material of the conductive barrier film is selected from Ta, TaN, TiN, and polysilicon.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein a material of the insulating layer is selected from benzocyclobutene, polyimide, silicon oxide, and silicon nitride.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein producing the second substrate with the through hole includes
forming a preliminary hole in the second substrate,
filling the preliminary hole for forming the through hole with a dummy material,
exposing the dummy material filled in the preliminary hole from an underside surface side of the second substrate, and
removing the dummy material.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein producing the second substrate with the through hole includes
forming a preliminary hole in the second substrate,
filling the preliminary hole for forming the through hole with a dummy material, and
exposing the dummy material filled in the preliminary hole from an underside surface side of the second substrate,
wherein the dummy material is removed after the second substrate is stacked.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the dummy material includes polysilicon.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive substance is selected from Cu, W, Al, and polysilicon.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for delivering of active agent across a biological barrier, the method comprising the steps of:
puncturing the biological barrier with a plurality of microneedles, the microneedles attached to or integrally formed with a substrate, wherein each of the microneedles is formed of a biodegradable polymer and an active agent dispersed in the biodegradable polymer of the microneedles;
delivering the active agent solely through biodegradation of the biodegradable polymer of the microneedles in the biological barrier.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the biodegradable polymer comprises a plurality of biodegradable polymers.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the biodegradable polymer comprises at least one of polylactides, polyglycolides, polylactide-co-glycolide, copolymers of polyethylene glycol, polyanhydrides, poly(ortho)esters, polyurethanes, poly(butric acid), poly(valeric acid), and poly(lactide-co-caprolactone).
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the biodegradable polymer comprises a biodegradable polymer and a non-biodegradable polymer.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the biodegradation occurs by way of chemical breakdown of the biodegradable polymer.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the biodegradation occurs by way of biodissolution of the biodegradable polymer.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the microneedles are between 1 \u03bcm and 1 mm long, inclusive.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the microneedles are between 10 \u03bcm and 500 \u03bcm long, inclusive.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the microneedles are between 30 \u03bcm and 200 \u03bcm long, inclusive.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the microneedles have a cross-sectional dimension between 10 nm and 1 mm, inclusive.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the microneedles have a cross-sectional dimension between 1 \u03bcm and 200 \u03bcm, inclusive.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the microneedles have a cross-sectional dimension between 10 \u03bcm and 100 \u03bcm, inclusive.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the microneedles have a circular cross section with an outer diameter between 10 \u03bcm and 100 \u03bcm, inclusive.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a flexible material.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the active agent is dispersed throughout the biodegradable polymer.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the active agent is a drug.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the drug comprises at least one of a protein, an enzyme, a polysaccharide, a polynucleotide, an organic compound, and an inorganic compound.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the microneedles comprises a break site to remove the at least one of the microneedles from the substrate.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the break site comprises a notch in the at least one of the microneedles.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the break site is located adjacent the tip of the microneedles.