Patent ID: 7560036

Claim:
A method of fabricating a microneedle array in a substrate having a front surface and a back surface, comprising: forming one or more protective layers on the front surface of the substrate; applying photoresist to the one or more protective layers on the front surface of the substrate; removing at least a portion of the one or more protective layers from the front surface of the substrate; removing the photoresist from the front surface of the substrate; anisotropically etching the front surface of the substrate to form one or more microneedles in the substrate, said microneedles having a conical-shaped body defined by a plurality of surfaces sloping upwardly from a base to a tip; forming one or more protective layers on the back surface of the substrate; applying photoresist to the one or more protective layers on the back surface of the substrate; removing a least a portion of the one or more protective layers from the back surface of the substrate; removing the photoresist from the back surface of the substrate; and etching anisotropically one or more conical holes in the substrate such that at least one of the conical holes extends from the back surface of the substrate into the body of the one or more microneedles, wherein the conical holes have a plurality of internal surfaces formed by the etching; wherein the bases of the one or more microneedles are formed integrally with the substrate and the tips of the one or more microneedles are capable of penetrating an outer layer of the skin of a patient.