Micromachined cutting blade formed from {211}-oriented silicon
US6615496B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 4, 2000 |
| Grant date | Sep 9, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 4, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB81B2203/0384
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A cutting blade is disclosed fabricated of micromachined silicon. The cutting blade utilizes a monocrystalline silicon substrate having a {211} crystalline orientation to form one or more cutting edges that are defined by the intersection of {211} crystalline planes of silicon with {111} crystalline planes of silicon. This results in a cutting blade which has a shallow cutting-edge angle &thgr; of 19.5°. The micromachined cutting blade can be formed using an anisotropic wet etching process which substantially terminates etching upon reaching the {111} crystalline planes of silicon. This allows multiple blades to be batch fabricated on a common substrate and separated for packaging and use. The micromachined cutting blade, which can be mounted to a handle in tension and optionally coated for increased wear resistance and biocompatibility, has multiple applications including eye surgery (LASIK procedure).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.