Low temperature anodic bonding method using focused energy for assembly of micromachined systems

Abstract

A method for assembling a medicine delivery system ( 10 ) includes providing a substrate ( 16 ) with a plurality of compartments ( 18 ), filling the compartments ( 18 ) with medicine ( 34 ), covering the compartments ( 18 ) with a cap ( 24 ), heating the system ( 10 ) at a relatively low temperature, applying a voltage bias ( 56 ) across the substrate ( 16 ) and the cap ( 24 ), and applying focused energy ( 54 ) to the substrate ( 16 ) and/or the cap ( 24 ) to seal them together and create a vacuum in the compartments ( 18 ).

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for bonding substrates in a micromachined system, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a first substrate and a second substrate;    placing the first substrate in contact with the second substrate;    applying heat to the micromachined system;    applying a voltage bias across the first substrate and the second substrate; and    applying focused energy to at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate to seal the first substrate to the second substrate.    
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the first substrate is made of glass and the second substrate is made of silicon.  
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat is less than 100 degrees C.  
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the voltage bias is between 100 V and 1 kV.  
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the focused energy is provided by an energy source selected from a group of energy sources consisting of a microwave, a laser, an infrared, and a lamp source.  
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the focused energy has a wavelength less than 600 nm.  
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the micromachined system is a medicine delivery system, wherein the first substrate includes a plurality of compartments each having charging openings for receiving medicine, and wherein the second substrate forms a cap that covers the charging openings.  
     
     
         8 . A method for assembling a medicine delivery system, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a substrate, having a plurality of compartments, and a cap;    charging each of the plurality of compartments with medicine;    covering the plurality of compartments with the cap;    applying heat to the medicine delivery system;    applying a voltage bias across the substrate and the cap; and    applying focused energy to at least one of the substrate and the cap to seal the cap to the substrate and to create vacuum in the plurality of compartments.    
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the substrate is made of glass and the cap is made of silicon.  
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the heat is less than 100 degrees C.  
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the voltage bias is between 100 V and 1 kV.  
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the focused energy is provided by an energy source selected from a group of energy sources consisting of a microwave, a laser, an infrared, and a lamp source.  
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the focused energy has a wavelength less than 600 nm.  
     
     
         14 . A method for assembling a medicine delivery system, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a substrate, having a plurality of compartments, and a cap, wherein the substrate is made of glass and the cap is made of silicon;    charging each of the plurality of compartments with medicine;    covering the plurality of compartments with the cap;    applying heat to the medicine delivery system, wherein the heat is less than 100 degrees C.;    applying a voltage bias across the substrate and the cap, wherein the voltage bias is between 100 V and 1 kV; and    applying focused energy, sourced from one of a microwave, a laser, an infrared, and a lamp source, to at least one of the substrate and the cap to seal the cap to the substrate and to create vacuum in the plurality of compartments, wherein the focused energy has a wavelength less than 600 nm.