Laser welding housing for electronic device, circuit or sensor

Abstract

The present disclosure illustrates a housing comprising at least a first substrate and a second substrate wherein the first substrate is at least partially transparent and / or at least transparent for a wavelength bandwidth; at least one common laser weld zone wherein the materials of the first substrate and the second substrate are mixed wherein the laser weld zone is designed to permanently bond the first substrate to the second substrate and / or to provide a hermetic seal between the first substrate and the second substrate; at least one functional region, for example, comprising a cavity enclosed inside the housing; and at least one fluid channel allowing the fluid to flow between the functional area and the outside.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing, a submersible sensor element, a submersible donor element, and a submersible dedicated filter element, wherein the housing is, for example, used to provide at least partially airtight compartments or cavities in at least two layers of substrates. Background Art

[0002] Housings can be used, for example, to protect electronic devices, circuits, or sensors. Airtight sealing implementations of the above housings can be used for medical implants, for example, in therapies for treating heart diseases, or for example, in retinas or any type of bioprocessors. It is known that bioprocessors are made of titanium. It is mainly known to provide multiple components or layers and arrange them such that components can be located in the internal area. For example, European Patent EP 3 012 059 B1 shows a method for manufacturing a transparent component for protecting an optical component. A new laser welding method is used therein. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In some application cases, as one of several problems to be solved by the present invention, it is necessary to measure or affect one or more properties of the fluid or material around the housing. Sensors can be used or implanted through the present invention, for example, for particularly harsh or (chemically) corrosive environmental conditions. Other application examples of the present invention are Micro-Electro-Mechanic-Systems (MEMS), as well as pressure sensors, blood gas sensors, glucose meters (such as blood glucose meters), etc.

[0004] Further fields of interest of the present invention, where the housing has been designed to solve at least one of these problems, can include providing a medical treatment and / or a medical treatment device for diseases or physical dysfunctions of animals or humans; or it can include a standardized leak container for product line certification; or it can include a humidity sensor.

[0005] Other application fields of the present invention can include: augmented reality, such as a fogless waveguide component; or the field of household appliances / consumer goods, such as a fragrance dispenser; or the automotive field, such as a gas sensor. The present invention can also be designed to be used as a purification device for water or other liquids or gases. For example, the present invention can also be used in the field of electric vehicles; it can also be used in aerospace environments, high-temperature environments, and micro-optical fields.

[0006] The above applications involve devices facing harsh environmental conditions, so they must be designed to be particularly robust or must be protected from these conditions, and / or they involve biological interactions with the housing.

[0007] In addition, as an option for the problem solution, the present invention may allow a certain degree of exchange with the surrounding environment of the housing, such as fluid exchange.

[0008] Thus, in summary, the object of the present invention is to provide a device capable of interacting with a fluid, changing or measuring the properties of the fluid, and ideally small enough to be placed in the same fluid.

[0009] In a particularly interesting embodiment, to explain a demonstration of the present invention, the possibility of dispensing a certain dose of fluid (such as a drug or chemical) over time to the surroundings of the housing, for example insulin for treating diabetes, may be provided. The surroundings of the housing are hereinafter referred to as the exterior. In the same embodiment and / or simultaneously, the blood glucose level may be measured to derive the amount of insulin required over time. Advantageously, in the same embodiment, the depleted housing may communicate or send a signal.

[0010] The object of the present invention is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0011] The housing according to the present invention comprises at least a first substrate and a second substrate, wherein the first substrate is at least partially transparent and / or at least transparent for a wavelength bandwidth. The first substrate may have an outer surface, and the second substrate may also have an outer surface. The first substrate and the second substrate are generally arranged adjacent to each other in such a way that the inner surface of the first substrate is adjacent to the inner surface of the second substrate. In other words, in this example, the two substrates are arranged adjacent to each other, i.e., directly close to each other, wherein the plane of the inner surface of the first substrate contacts the plane of the inner surface of the second substrate. Generally, each substrate of the housing is quite flat, which means that its lateral dimension is much larger than its width. The outer surface and the inner surface opposite the outer surface have a longer dimension than the circular edge located between the outer surfaces. By arranging a plurality (at least two) of substrates adjacent to or stacked and aligned with each other, a stack of substrates is formed. Then, such a stack of substrates can be laser welded in order to firmly join the substrates to each other. For example, for every two substrates, one laser welding line can be used to join the two substrates. Thus, for example, in the case of forming a housing using four substrates, at least three laser welding lines can be introduced, wherein each laser welding line is arranged to join the corresponding two adjacent substrates of the stack of substrates.

[0012] The topmost substrate preferably comprises the transparent material and / or is transparent at least in a part of its surface or volume and / or at least for a wavelength bandwidth. Whenever the substrates are welded and joined to each other using a laser, the laser can thus pass through the topmost substrate in order to reach, for example, the interface region between the two substrates to be welded. The reason it is called the topmost substrate is that the laser typically enters the substrates from above. Obviously, it refers to the substrate through which the laser must pass in order to reach the laser spot at its intended location. Thus, in setups where the laser can be emitted from the side or below, the reference to the "topmost substrate" may no longer apply, but the "topmost substrate" generally refers to the substrate closest to the laser source during the laser welding process. In any case, it is preferred that the substrate material (substrate volume) through which the laser passes in order to place the laser spot within the substrate / substrate stack comprises the transparent material and / or is transparent at least in a part of its surface or volume and / or at least for a wavelength bandwidth, typically the bandwidth of the laser used for welding.

[0013] Thus, the housing comprises at least one common laser welding area where the materials of the first and the second substrates are mixed, and where the laser welding area is designed such that the first substrate is permanently joined to the second substrate and / or an airtight seal is provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. Such at least one laser welding area extends from within the first substrate into the second substrate, and the first substrate is permanently joined to the second substrate. The laser welding area can also be designed to provide an airtight seal to a functional area located at a position surrounded by the laser welding area. However, on the other side, additional laser welding lines can also be provided to introduce, ensure or improve the adhesion and / or airtight seal of the functional area.

[0014] For example, the laser welding area may include a first separation distance S1 to the outer surface of the first substrate and a second separation distance S2 to the outer surface of the second substrate. If the separation distances S1 and S2 are applied, the laser welding area may be completely enclosed within the housing. In other words, this means that the laser welding area is completely enclosed within the housing without contacting or penetrating the outer surface of the first or the second substrate. That is to say, the laser welding area is completely enclosed by the material from the first substrate or the second substrate or the material of any substrate contained in the housing. Therefore, the housing completely encloses the laser welding area, which does not contact the environment surrounding the housing. This also means that neither the first outer surface nor the second outer surface (i.e., the outer surface of the second substrate) is damaged by the at least one laser welding area. This can increase the mechanical and / or chemical tolerance of the housing. Advantageously, the laser welding area is initially completely surrounded by the material of the housing, such as including the separation distances S1 and S2, but the housing may become thinner in subsequent process steps, whereby the laser welding area is exposed to the surrounding environment. For example, the laser welding area may then also form part of the first outer surface and / or the second outer surface. In this regard, especially with regard to the method of polishing one of the housing substrates, reference is made to German patent application DE 10 2020 117 194.3, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference into the present application.

[0015] The laser welding area may be part of the first substrate and / or may be part of the second substrate. Preferably, the laser welding area includes material from the first substrate and material from the second substrate. In other words, the material from the first substrate is melted while the material from the second substrate is melted, and the materials are mixed with each other. The laser welding area may also include a refractive index different from that of the non-welded portions of the first substrate and / or the second substrate.

[0016] The housing according to the invention further includes at least one functional area, for example including a cavity enclosed within the housing. The functional area may be circumferentially enclosed within the housing. Such a cavity may also include one or more devices or components enclosed within the housing. The functional area may also include some detector devices, some microelectronic or mechanical systems and / or any micro-optical devices. An energy generation device (such as a battery) or an energy harvesting device (such as a small solar cell) may even be provided in the functional area. The functional area may include a coating, for example located between the two substrates or provided on one of the inner sides of the substrates. Advantageously, the preferred laser welding process causes local heating only within the laser welding area without affecting the functional area. This allows the use of heat-sensitive coatings, such as coatings containing antibodies, in biotechnological applications.

[0017] For example, the cavity can be arranged in the plane of the first and / or the second substrate. For example, the cavity can be excavated from the first substrate and / or the second substrate, for example by a grinding method. In the case where three substrates are used to provide the housing, the topmost and bottommost substrates can also be continuous substrates, where the functional area or cavity is arranged in the plane of the intermediate substrate. For example, the intermediate substrate can include a plurality of holes which become cavities when the three substrates are stacked on top of each other.

[0018] The housing further includes at least one fluid channel allowing fluid to flow between the functional area and the outside. Such a fluid channel allows the interior (part) of the housing to be in direct contact with and / or exchange with the surrounding fluid, thereby allowing the functional device within the cavity to interact with the properties of the surrounding environment. For example, it can allow fluid to flow into the cavity to analyze its properties, and / or it can allow fluid to flow out into the surrounding environment to affect the properties of the surrounding fluid.

[0019] The fluid channel has a height (h), where the height (h) of the fluid channel is defined by: (i) the volume increase of the material of the first substrate and / or the second substrate within the laser welding area and / or (ii) ablation of the material of the first substrate and / or the second substrate outside the laser welding area and / or selective etching of the material of the first substrate and / or the second substrate outside the laser welding area.

[0020] The volume of the substrate material can be changed by changing the phase of the material, because when the phase of the material changes, for example from a crystalline phase to an amorphous phase, the density of the material can change. For example, at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate can be a crystalline material selected such that the laser welding process will cause the phase of the material within the laser welding area to change from a crystalline phase to an amorphous phase. When the material is further selected such that the density of the amorphous phase is less than the density of the crystalline phase, this phase change will result in a volume change such that the volume of the material within the laser welding area increases and a protrusion of amorphous material is formed within the laser welding area. These protrusions will cause the two substrates to separate and form a gap defining the fluid channel. A suitable example of such a crystalline material is sapphire. The height of the fluid channel can be easily adjusted by selecting the size of the laser welding area. If one laser welding line is not sufficient to provide the required height, two or more laser welding lines can be arranged at different depths of the stack including the two substrates. Suitable crystalline substrate materials whose density changes when a phase change occurs include, for example, sapphire, quartz, diamond, corundum, glass-ceramics, lithium niobate, chalcogenides, and mineral crystals.

[0021] Additionally or alternatively, the height of the fluid channels can be adjusted by selectively ablating and / or selectively etching the surface of the first substrate and / or the second substrate. Preferably, the laser process is used to ablate the surface. A particularly preferred process for the ablation is a combined laser and etching process, in which, in a first step, local defects are introduced into the respective substrates by the laser, for example in the form of a series of filamentous defects extending into the substrate depth, followed by etching. The surface of the fluid channels formed by this ablation process of the first substrate and / or the second substrate has a structure including a plurality of continuous, rounded, vault-shaped depressions. For example, a suitable ablation process is disclosed in US11,534,754. Preferably, the surface formed by this ablation process has an average roughness (Ra) of less than 5 μm, preferably less than 3 μm, preferably less than 1 μm, and preferably at least 50 nm. Preferred selective etching can include, for example, coating the surface with a resist (especially a photoresist), structuring the resist (e.g., by exposing the photoresist and removing the unexposed portions of the photoresist), and etching. After the etching, any remaining resist can be removed. A resist structure can also be provided by coating the surface with a metal such as gold or chromium (e.g., by sputtering), laser structuring the coated metal layer, and then etching.

[0022] In a particularly interesting design, the at least one fluid channel can act as a gate, which is defined by the amount of fluid passing through it. Specifically, a channel regulator can regulate the passage of fluid through the at least one channel.

[0023] Preferably, at least one surface of the at least one fluid channel has a functionalized coating. For example, such a coating can be applied to the entire surface of the substrate before laser welding. The preferred laser welding process uses an ultrashort pulse laser, which only causes local heating of the substrate material, whereby the coating outside the laser welding area is not affected by the welding process. Since the entire surface of the substrate can be functionalized in one process step regardless of the final shape and number of the fluid channels, the process is easy to perform and cost-effective.

[0024] Such a functionalized coating can include, for example, an organofunctional siloxane. Such an organofunctional siloxane can be customized according to the specific needs of the application and can be configured, for example, to be hydrophobic or hydrophilic. Suitable examples are those having the structure R-Si-(O-CH 3 ) 3Trimethoxysilane, wherein if hydrophobicity is required, R is a polar ligand, and if hydrophilicity is required, R is a non-polar ligand. This functionalized coating does not have a negative impact on the laser welding process because the coating decomposes within the laser welding area, such that only silicate remains on the substrate. Additionally, the same coating applicable to the functional area can be used as the functionalized coating for the at least one fluid channel. In this case, the entire fluid channel or a portion of the fluid channel also serves as the functional area.

[0025] Preferably, the dimensions of the fluid channel, in particular the width and height, and / or the functionalization of the surface of the fluid channel are selected to adjust the capillary force. Other parameters for adjusting the capillary force include the structure of the surface of the fluid channel.

[0026] In an improvement of the present invention, the first substrate may include glass, glass-ceramic, plastic, or crystal, such as sapphire. Alternatively or additionally, the second substrate and / or the intermediate layer may include glass, glass-ceramic, plastic, metal, silicon, or crystal, such as sapphire. However, materials such as paper, porous glass (e.g., ) of Schott AG can also be used as the second substrate and / or the intermediate layer as a filter element.

[0027] Additionally or alternatively, the laser welding area is arranged in a welding plane such that the welding plane, for example, cuts the laser welding area along the center.

[0028] The at least one fluid channel may be defined by the laser welding area, for example, by the shape or the extension dimension of the laser welding area. The fluid channel may, for example, constitute a groove in the laser welding area.

[0029] The at least one fluid channel may be arranged in the welding plane. The at least one fluid channel may further include a height h in a direction perpendicular to the welding plane, and the height h is less than or equal to the height HL of the welding area in a direction perpendicular to its connection plane. The laser welding area also has a height HL1 that may be located within the first substrate and a height HL2 = h - HL1 located within the second substrate. In other words, the complete height HL of the laser welding line may be located within the first substrate or the second substrate, which means that there is no any additional material or gap between the first substrate and the second substrate. This indicates that the first substrate is directly bonded and mixed with the second substrate through the laser welding process. When the laser welding line evenly extends into both substrates, HL1 = HL2. However, for example, if the laser welding area and / or the laser welding line penetrate deeper into the first substrate, then HL1 is greater than HL2. However, the sum of HL1 + HL2 is preferably equal to HL.

[0030] The at least one laser welding area and / or the laser welding line may surround the functional area at a distance DF, where the distance may, for example, correspond to below a height HL. The distance DF may also correspond to below twice the height HL.

[0031] The at least one fluid channel may also include a flat or mostly rectangular shape. Additionally, the at least one fluid channel may include one or more ridges. The at least one fluid channel may be provided on opposite sides of the housing, for example, one channel on each side of the housing. The at least one fluid channel may be provided in the form of one or more nano voids.

[0032] The cavity may preferably be interconnected with the at least one fluid channel. Additionally, a second cavity may be provided, where the second cavity is connected to the second fluid channel. The first cavity may communicate with the second cavity through a passage. The passage may preferably include a passage diameter, where the passage diameter is smaller than the diameter of the fluid channel and / or the second fluid channel.

[0033] The at least one channel may include a height (h) in a direction perpendicular to the welding plane, where the height (h) is 10 nm or more, preferably 25 nm or more, more preferably 50 nm or more, more preferably 100 nm or more, or 300 nm or more, or even 500 nm or more. The height (h) of the at least one channel in a direction perpendicular to the welding plane may also be 1000 nm or less, preferably 750 nm or less, more preferably 500 nm or less, more preferably 250 nm or less, or even 100 nm or less. The height, particularly preferably for the at least one fluid channel, is an embodiment defined by the volume change of the substrate material within the laser welding area. If the height of the at least one fluid channel is defined by ablation of the substrate material, the height of the at least one fluid channel may be selected to be higher. For example, the height of the fluid channel defined by material ablation may be in the range of 75 nm to 10 μm, preferably in the range of 200 nm to 5 μm, and particularly preferably in the range of 500 nm to 1 μm.

[0034] The at least one channel may further include, for example, a width (b) in the welding plane, where the width is at least 5 nm or more, further at least 20 nm or more, preferably 100 nm or more, more preferably 1 μm or more, or even 10 μm or more, or even 100 μm or more. The width (b) may also be 2 mm or less, further 500 μm or less, preferably 200 μm or less, more preferably 50 μm or less. The flow rate of the channel depends on the fluid and its (temperature-dependent) viscosity as well as the roughness of its walls by capillary action; for the following reasons, we characterize the channel using a helium leak test, the reasons being as follows: - This is a non-destructive test. - It is an inert gas. - It is a reference substance that is less affected by factors such as atmospheric humidity and molecular interactions. - Its flow rate is less affected by temperature.

[0035] We have found that channels with a helium leak rate in the following intervals also exhibit beneficial flow rates for other fluids and gases:

[0036] The helium leak rate is 1×10 -8 (mbar * l) / s or more, preferably 1×10 -6 (mbar * l) / s or more, and / or provides a fluid flow rate of 5×10 -6 (mbar * l) / s or less, or 1×10 -4 (mbar * l) / s or less.

[0037] The properties of the at least one fluid channel can be selected such that the fluid can only pass through the fluid channel in one direction, thereby providing a one-way valve function. For example, the cavity within the housing can define two reservoirs connected by a fluid channel. The first reservoir can contain a polar or hydrophilic liquid, while the second reservoir can contain air. For a fluid channel with a hydrophobic functionalized coating, air can flow from the second reservoir to the first reservoir, but no liquid can flow from the first reservoir to the second reservoir. In the case of a lipophilic liquid, a lipophobic functionalized coating can be used to provide a one-way valve function. If the housing is immersed in a medium such as a liquid, the exterior of the housing can be used as a reservoir and can replace the first or second reservoir in the given example. Thus, the at least one fluid channel can be configured to provide a one-way valve function between the exterior of the housing and the reservoir within the housing.

[0038] In an improvement of the present invention, the housing may further include a pressure difference generating device, such as an expandable or contractible reservoir, an electromechanical pressurizing mechanism, a chemical potential gradient source, or a micropump.

[0039] In addition, the housing may include an anti-ingrowth surface located beside or around at least one opening, and the anti-ingrowth surface may include, for example, a biocompatible material and / or a smooth or spiky surface, see, for example Figure 2 the details Ds in. The spikes of the spiky surface can be used as microstructures that counteract cell adhesion, especially since the spikes can penetrate bacterial cells, for example, as a biocidal surface.

[0040] The housing may further include a fluid property sensor, which is arranged outside the housing and exposed in a fully fluid-contact manner. Additionally or alternatively, it may also include at least one electrical connection from the functional area to the outside of the housing.

[0041] The at least one laser welding area may extend from within the first substrate into the second substrate, whereby material from the first substrate is mixed into the second substrate and / or material from the second substrate is mixed into the first substrate to permanently and directly bond the first substrate to the second substrate. The at least one laser welding area may also include a first separation distance S1 to the outer surface of the first substrate and a second separation distance S2 to the outer surface of the second substrate. A convection area may exist in the laser welding area, in which material from the first substrate is mixed with material from the second substrate. In addition, the laser welding area may be part of the first substrate and / or the second substrate, and its refractive index is different from that of the non-welded part of the first substrate and / or the second substrate.

[0042] The laser welding area is preferably arranged to surround the functional area, for example, circumferentially around the functional area. The laser welding area may also be arranged such that it includes a third separation distance S3 to the at least one channel or opening. At least one functional component may be arranged in the cavity, such as an electronic component, MEMS, or MOEMS.

[0043] The housing described above can be used as a sensor element, a wafer-level packaging component, a micro lens compound, a micro-optical chip, or an LED or laser diode device. In an embodiment, such a housing can also be used as a drug package, a pharmaceutical product emitter, or a blood property sensor.

[0044] Within the scope of the present disclosure, there is also an immersible sensor element for measuring fluid properties, comprising at least a first substrate and a second substrate, wherein the first substrate is at least partially transparent and / or transparent at least for a wavelength bandwidth; at least one common laser welding area, wherein the materials of the first substrate and the second substrate are mixed, and wherein the laser welding area is designed to permanently join the first substrate to the second substrate and / or provide an airtight seal between the first substrate and the second substrate; at least one functional area, for example including a cavity enclosed within the housing and including a fluid sensor element; and at least one fluid channel allowing the fluid to flow between the functional area and the exterior. The fluid property to be measured may include blood pressure or blood glucose level. The fluid may also be, for example, a solution, lymph, tears, glandular secretions (such as insulin), urine or other body fluids.

[0045] Importantly, an in vitro analysis of blood glucose concentration is obtained by analyzing tears using the immersible sensor element of the present invention, thereby providing an in vitro blood glucose sensor that does not invade the patient's body.

[0046] Within the scope of the present disclosure, there is also an immersible donor element for altering or adjusting fluid properties, comprising at least a first substrate and a second substrate, wherein the first substrate is at least partially transparent and / or transparent at least for a wavelength bandwidth; at least one common laser welding area, wherein the materials of the first substrate and the second substrate are mixed, and wherein the laser welding area is designed to permanently join the first substrate to the second substrate and / or provide an airtight seal between the first substrate and the second substrate; at least one functional area, for example including a cavity enclosed within the housing and including a donor fluid reservoir; and at least one fluid channel allowing the fluid to flow between the functional area and the exterior. The donor element may be designed for discharging a product.

[0047] Such an immersible donor may also include a controllable or adjustable valve as a flow regulator for regulating the amount and / or time of the pharmaceutical product to be discharged.

[0048] Within the scope of the present disclosure, there is also a submersible dedicated filter element for deployment in a fluid, comprising at least a first substrate and an additional substrate, wherein the first substrate is at least partially transparent and / or at least transparent for one wavelength bandwidth; at least one common laser welding area, wherein the materials of the first substrate and the additional substrate are mixed, and wherein the laser welding area is designed such that the first substrate is permanently joined to the additional substrate and / or provides at least a partial airtight seal between the first substrate and the additional substrate; at least one functional area, comprising a cavity, and at least a first fluid channel allowing fluid to flow into the functional area from the outside; and at least a second fluid channel allowing the fluid to flow out to the outside, wherein the second fluid channel is designed such that when the fluid flows through the filter element, optional particles or components of the fluid are retained inside or outside the cavity. The fluid can be, for example, blood, a solution agent, lymph fluid, tear fluid, glandular secretions (such as insulin), urine or other body fluids.

[0049] The fluid can also be a fluid drug substance.

[0050] The corresponding fluid can contain particulate elements such as blood cells or other somatic cells, or can contain particles of particulate matter such as drug substances (e.g., particles with a defined solubility, allowing for a defined application of a sustained-release drug).

[0051] The laser welding area can be designed in such a way as to at least partially airtight seal the functional area in the housing. For example, a laser welding line can be drawn without gaps around the functional area, whereby the first substrate is joined airtight to the second substrate. The laser welding area is typically formed by a series of continuous laser spots. These laser spots can be placed close enough such that multiple laser spots overlap spatially. When a first laser pulse creates an absorption area, the absorption of subsequent pulses heats the absorption area and expands it towards the laser beam. This combination of heat accumulation and translation of the sample results in a continuous laser welding line. When such a continuous laser welding line is drawn completely around the functional area, it has an airtight sealing property. However, according to the invention, there is at least one fluid channel allowing fluid to flow between the functional area and the outside of the housing. Such an arrangement, which includes airtight sealing of the cavity by the laser welding area and providing fluid interconnectivity between the inside or interior of the cavity and the outside or exterior of the housing, for example through channels, is referred to as at least a partially airtight sealed cavity or at least a partially airtight sealed housing. By the laser welding line, the substrates are firmly joined to each other because the material of the first substrate and the material of the second substrate are melted or mixed in the "convection area" since the placement of the laser spots enables the above-mentioned material mixing. In other words, the convection area is characterized by the mixing of the material from the first substrate and the material from the second substrate in the convection area.

[0052] The laser welding area may also be arranged such that it includes a third separation distance S3 to the circumferential edge of the housing. In other words, a safety distance is left between the laser welding area and the circumferential edge, whereby the laser welding area does not interfere with the edge. This distance may be referred to as a "tolerance area". Generally, the housing is cut out from a wafer or a wafer stack, which includes a plurality of arrangements, each arrangement including at least a first substrate, a second substrate, and preferably one or more intermediate substrates, each substrate being arranged in a stack respectively. Therefore, the additional distance between the laser welding area and the edge may be advantageous because it does not interfere with the laser welding area when cutting the housing from the wafer stack.

[0053] Within the scope of the present disclosure, there is also a housing configured as a lab-on-a-chip element, wherein the housing includes at least one functional area within the housing, and the functional area is connected to one or more fluid channels. At least one fluid channel connects the enclosed functional area to the outside, thereby enabling fluid communication. The lab-on-a-chip element may include two or more functional areas, wherein at least two functional areas are in fluid communication through at least one fluid channel.

[0054] The functional area may include a functionalized coating. In addition, the functional area may be configured as a cavity, in which an analyte and / or living cells may be enclosed.

[0055] The geometry of the one or more fluid channels is determined by the arrangement of the laser welding lines. Therefore, any desired shape within the plane of the substrate may be used, including fluid channels having different widths or having a meandering structure. Such a meandering structure can be particularly used to mix two fluid streams of two fluid channels or to enhance the contact between the fluid and the analyte contained in the functional area. Since the laser welding process does not require a fixed photomask, the precise structure of the fluid channels can be easily adjusted, and even a separate shape can be provided for each device.

[0056] The present invention will be described in more detail below in conjunction with preferred embodiments. Please refer to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals represent the same or similar components. Description of the Drawings

[0057] The present invention is illustrated in the following figures:

[0058] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the housing,

[0059] Figures 2 to 4 is a schematic top view of an embodiment of the housing,

[0060] Figures 5 to 9Schematic cross-sectional side view of a housing embodiment

[0061] Figure 10 and Figure 11 is a submersible donor element

[0062] Figures 12 to 14 is a submersible dedicated filter element, and

[0063] Figure 15 and Figure 16 is a lab-on-a-chip element DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] Figure 1 Shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the housing 1, in which the bottom layer 3 is arranged below the top layer 4. The bottom layer or first substrate 3 and the top layer or second substrate 4 are at least partially hermetically joined to each other by three laser welding lines 6a, 6b, 6c forming a laser welding area 7. The laser welding area 7 extends into the material of the first substrate 3 and into the material of the second substrate 4, thus mixing the materials of the two substrates 3, 4. When introducing a firm seal, the laser welding area 7 can provide at least a partially hermetically sealed area that includes the functional area 2, where, in addition to the channel 5, one or more laser welding lines 6a, 6b, 6c can be drawn around this area 2. The two substrates 3, 4 are in contact with each other at the inner side surface 46 of the first substrate 3 and the inner side surface 44 of the second substrate 4. The two inner side surfaces 44, 46 are in contact with each other at the contact area 15. On the side of the housing 1, a spacing S3 is provided between the edge 11 defining the edge 12 of the housing 1 and the laser welding area 7. Looking from Figure 1 the perspective, the edge 12 is vertically oriented, while the planes 41, 43, 44 and 46 of the first and second substrates 3, 4 are horizontally oriented. The edge 12 can connect the outer side surface 41 of the second substrate 4 to the outer side surface 43 of the first substrate 3, whereby the total outer surface area can be constituted by the outer side surface 41 of the second substrate, the edge 12 and the outer side surface 43 of the first substrate 3

[0065] See Figure 2 , which shows a top perspective view of the housing 1, in which the laser welding area 7 is arranged to partially surround the functional area 2. The channel 5 interconnects the surrounding exterior 99 with the inside (e.g., cavity) of the functional area 2. Thus, a fluid interconnect is provided between the exterior 99 and the cavity inside the housing 1. For example, through the channel 5, the fluid properties of the exterior 99 can be measured, and / or fluid can be supplied from the inside to the outside, and / or fluid can be exchanged between the exterior 99 and the cavity 2 inside the housing 1. The cavity 2 is preferably hermetically sealed on all sides except the channel 5 by the laser welding area 7, so that, for example, the leakage rate and / or fluid interchangeability can be defined by defining the nature, shape and / or dimensions of the channel 5

[0066] During the manufacturing process, the channel 5 can be configured to have spikes and other surface properties as an additional or alternative to prevent ingrowth of the surface 8, for example using laser ablation, which can at least counteract cell adhesion. The surface modification can be restricted to some areas, such as the inlet area, so as not to impair the general flow properties.

[0067] In addition, as Figure 2 shown, a reservoir 24 is illustrated, where the reservoir 24 can be used as, for example, a pressure regulator or a fluid reservoir according to the use of the housing 1, for supplying donor fluid to the cavity 2 or to the outside 99 through the channel 5. The functional element 21 is schematically shown in the housing. The regulating device 26 is also schematically shown, which can regulate the inflow or outflow, for example by narrowing the width of the channel 5 with a slider, thereby affecting the possible flow rate through the channel 5. The regulating device 26 can also be provided in the form of a soluble barrier, which dissolves when in contact with the surrounding fluid of the outside 99 and allows fluid exchange. The elements 21, 24, 26 (such as the illustrated reservoir 24 and regulating device 26) can be provided independently of each other in the cavity 2 of the housing 1, but for the sake of brevity, they are shown in the same figure.

[0068] Now turning to Figure 3 , the figure shows the housing 1, which has a number of channels 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d evenly distributed around the edge 12 of the housing 1. The reservoir 24 and the functional element 21 within the functional area 2 are also shown in the figure, but they may or may not be present depending on the use of the housing 1. By providing multiple channels 5, the leakage rate can be increased. By distributing the channels 5 on each side of the housing 1, an improved fluid flow distribution can be achieved. Specifically, Figure 3 the embodiment shown in

[0069] can also provide cross-flow or fluid exchange through the housing 1, for example, where fluid is allowed to flow in through the channel 5a and where fluid is allowed to flow out through the channels 5b, 5c, and 5d. The flow rate can be self-regulated or can be regulated by the functional element 21. Figure 4 As can be seen from Figure 2 , the channel 5 is designed as a plurality of leakage grooves, such as micro vias. Compared with the

[0070] embodiment of Figures 5 to 9 , this embodiment can increase the leakage rate but at the same time limit the channel diameter and / or allow the selection of particles small enough to pass through the channel 5. Figure 5 A box-shaped groove 5 in the plane of the laser welding area 7 is shown, which has a width of b and a lateral spacing of Δx. In as Figure 5During the manufacturing process of the illustrated channel 5, small shallow grooves 5 can be carefully fabricated from the bottom substrate 3, for example, by ultra-short pulse laser ablation. The height h of the grooves can be set to the order of 50 nm to 1 μm, preferably 300 nm ± 150 nm. The width b of the grooves can be set to an interval, for example, between 0 mm and 2 mm. When both substrates 3 and 4 are made of glass and a glass-to-glass housing 1 is used, the width can preferably be between 10 and 20 μm, for example, 15 ± 10 μm. Further, for example, b + 2Δx ≥ w, where w is the width of the laser welding area 7 (for example, 40 μm). Here, Δx is the distance between the last "weld point" of the laser welding line and the starting point of the channel or groove 5. After the grooves 5 are fabricated, the top substrate 4 can be placed on top of the bottom substrate 3 and brought into contact and bonding. The laser welding area 7 is spot-welded at the interface between the top and bottom substrates 3 and 4, where it stops at a distance Δx in front of the boundary of the groove 5 or part of the channel 5a, 5b,.... Since there are no grooves, the continuous laser welding area 7 will provide airtightness for the cavity 2, so the total leakage only depends on the nature of the channel 5, such as its geometry. Therefore, a housing with a defined leakage rate is provided.

[0071] Instead of using laser ablation, the channel 5 can also be fabricated by etching, scratching, or grinding the edge 12, and / or at least a part of the material of one of the substrates 3, 4, 4a can be made porous, that is, it can include filter materials such as paper, porous glass, for example, from Schott AG so as to provide an inherent leakage rate in the porous material. The channel 5 can be fabricated by a lithography process, for example, in the case of silicon. In the case where at least one substrate includes or consists of metal, the metal surface can be prepared or set to be slightly rough or porous. A polishing pattern can be used, which results in an uneven inner surface of the substrates 3 and 4. A part of the substrates 3 and 4 can also be cut off to fabricate the channel 5 in one of the substrates 3 and 4.

[0072] Similar to Figure 4 the embodiment shown in Figure 6 FIG. shows a comb-shaped channel 5 having a plurality of partial channels 5a, 5b,.... The channel 5 does not have to be homogeneous and can also be serrated or have any other shape with a defined open cross-section A; it can also be a "peeling" of the welding line. Figure 7 FIG. shows another embodiment, where the comb-shaped structure of the channel 5 is not continuous from bottom to top but only affects a part of the channel 5. The upper part of the channel 5 is continuously formed, while the lower part of the channel 5 is comb-shaped. Figure 8 FIG. a shows a variant of the structure of the channel 5 formed by truncation. For example, this form can be obtained by drilling.

[0073] In Figure 9In another example shown, the observations obtained from the laser welding process are further developed. During the introduction of the laser welding zone 7, for example, in a sapphire-sapphire housing 1 with a crystalline sample, the upper substrate 4 may rise and separate from the lower substrate 3. The gap formed between the substrates 3 and 4 can still be hermetically sealed by laser welding. However, if the laser welding zone 7 is not circumferentially closed around the housing 1, the gap may persist. When defining the end points of the laser welding zone 7 such that such a gap can serve as a channel 5, the width can be defined by the stopping points of the laser welding zone 7 during laser welding.

[0074] In a further refinement, the housing 1 can include three substrate layers 3, 4, 4a or more to form the housing 1. The first substrate 3 serves as the base layer below the cavity 2, the second substrate 4 serves as the top layer above the cavity 2, and the intermediate layer or intermediate substrate 4a is arranged between these two substrates 3 and 4, see for example Figure 10 . Thus, the first substrate 3 can be welded to the intermediate substrate 4a, and the second substrate 4 can also be welded to the intermediate substrate 4a by two planar laser welding zones 7.

[0075] When forming the laser welding zone 7, non-linear absorption occurs with each laser pulse emission. This zone may or may not later appear as an absorption volume (e.g., a black dot). In the latter case, the term "non-linear absorption zone" is used to denote the in-situ process volume where non-linear absorption and / or some permanent change occurs if linear absorption has taken place, such as the occurrence of visible damage in the substrate. This non-linear absorption zone can cause heat accumulation, which occurs in the direction towards the laser pulse emission. Above the non-linear absorption zone (which may more or less correspond to the laser focus and may have dimensions of a few micrometers), an elongated bubble-like region may form, which has a width of only a few micrometers but a height typically up to several tens of micrometers (and is also referred to as a "bubble" as it usually has a characteristic shape comparable to an elongated bubble). There is a molten zone around this bubble-like region where the temperature of the glass can reach above Tg, and thus the glass re-solidifies (after cooling or heat dissipation). Generally, the molten zone containing the elongated bubble can be clearly identified using an optical microscope as its density and / or refractive index has changed relative to the surrounding material of the corresponding substrate (e.g., glass). In some cases, optical damage can also be observed at the lower end of the molten zone in the non-linear absorption zone. Thus, each laser point and each laser welding line 6a, 6b, 6c can be identified optically. A single laser point can also be referred to as a heating zone.

[0076] The immersible sensor element 1a for measuring fluid properties (such as blood pressure or blood glucose level) can include the housing 1 and the sensor element 21 as described herein, in particular a fluid sensor element 21.

[0077] In Figure 10 and Figure 11 is shown a cross-sectional view of the immersible donor element 1b for altering or adjusting the properties of a fluid, in particular for dispensing a pharmaceutical product or a drug substance, in a vertical plane defined by the arrows A and B of Figure 4 .

[0078] The immersible donor element 1b preferably comprises at least one functional region of the housing and the cavity 2 as described herein, and includes a donor fluid reservoir 24. Furthermore, an intermediate substrate 4a may be located between at least a first substrate 3 and a second substrate 4 defining the cavity 2 through a central cut-out region or a central opening.

[0079] The immersible donor element 1b may also include a controllable valve 26 for regulating the amount and / or the time of the drug released to the exterior 99. The exterior 99 may include an external fluid 100 surrounding the immersible donor element 1b.

[0080] A port 50 connects the cavity 2 to a fluid source not explicitly shown in the figure, which may be an extracorporeal fluid source or an intracorporeal fluid source when the immersible donor element 1b is located within a patient's body, for supplying a specific drug substance to the cavity 2. Due to the pressure and the settings of the flow regulator 26 in the port 50, the amount of the drug substance delivered to the exterior 99 and the external fluid 100 can be controlled in a defined manner.

[0081] Importantly, particularly in cases where the drug is aggressive or toxic, a favorable defined dilution of the drug substance can be obtained before delivering the drug to the exterior 99. In the case of a negative pressure occurring in the port 50, the external fluid 100 can be sucked into the cavity 2, and a defined dilution of the drug substance and the external fluid 100 is provided in the cavity 2. Subsequently, the diluted drug substance can be delivered to the exterior 99 in a defined manner based on the increased pressure in the port 50 and the corresponding settings of the flow regulator 26. In this embodiment, the cavity 2 as a whole can be used as the reservoir 24.

[0082] In Figure 11 the illustrated embodiment, two ports 50, 51 are connected to the cavity 2, the port 50 can be used as a fluid delivery device, and the port 51 can be used as a fluid discharge device. Then, after treating the patient's body with the drug substance, the cavity 2 can be rinsed with a cleaning fluid to support a time-precise restricted treatment.

[0083] If another substance is delivered to the cavity 2 through port 51, the substance may include another pharmaceutical substance or an activator for the fluid to be delivered through port 50, and a mixture of pharmaceutical substances and / or an activated pharmaceutical substance may be delivered to the exterior 99 and the external fluid 100, especially in a defined dilution and time-controlled manner. This embodiment may also assist in delivering short-acting therapeutic agents.

[0084] Due to the provision of a very precise and locally restricted application, especially in a time-precisely defined manner, these embodiments can generally also be used to reduce the systemic toxic effects of the corresponding pharmaceutical substances on the patient.

[0085] It must be understood that the shapes and dimensions of ports 50 and 51 are shown only by way of example and depend on the corresponding application to be achieved.

[0086] In Figure 12 、 Figure 13 and Figure 14 a cross-sectional view extending in a central vertical plane shows a submersible dedicated filter element 1c for deployment in a fluid 99 (such as blood) that is the external fluid 100.

[0087] The submersible dedicated filter element includes: at least a first substrate 3 and additional substrates 4, 4a, wherein the first substrate is at least partially transparent and / or at least transparent for one wavelength bandwidth; at least one common laser welding area 7, wherein the materials of the first substrate and the additional substrates are mixed, and the laser welding area is designed such that the first substrate is permanently joined to the additional substrates and / or provides at least a partially airtight seal between the first substrate and the additional substrates; at least one functional area 2, including a cavity; at least a first fluid channel 5 that allows fluid to flow from the exterior 99 into the functional area, and at least second fluid channels 5.1, 5.2...... that allow fluid to flow out to the exterior 99, wherein the second fluid channels 5.1, 5.2...... are designed such that optional particles or components of the fluid are retained within the cavity 2 when the fluid flows through the filter element.

[0088] The additional substrate may include a second substrate 4, or may further include an intermediate substrate 4a, or in a further embodiment includes a plurality of intermediate substrates 4a.

[0089] Reference Figure 12, a submersible dedicated filter element 1c is disclosed, which includes two cavities 2 and 2.1 defined by corresponding cutout regions or openings in the intermediate layer 4a. Each cavity includes channels 5, 5.1, respectively allowing fluid to flow between the functional regions in the cavities 2, 2.1 and the exterior 99. The exterior 99 may include an external fluid 100 surrounding the submersible dedicated filter element 1c. Between the cavities 2 and 2.1, an inherent channel 5.i allows fluid to flow between the functional region of cavity 2 and the functional region of cavity 2.1.

[0090] In a first embodiment, the channels 5.1 and 5 each include at least one partial channel 5a, 5b......, preferably provided in the form of one or more nano voids, having a diameter Da or a height and width Da. In this first embodiment, the channel 5i includes at least one partial channel 5a, 5b......, which may also be provided in the form of one or more nano voids according to future intended uses, having a diameter Df or a height and width Df, where Df < Da.

[0091] In another embodiment, the channels 5, 5.1, 5.i may also respectively include filter elements 27, 27.1, 27i, which have filter materials such as paper, porous glass, for example having an effective filtration diameter of Da in the case of the channels 5 and 5.1, and an effective filtration diameter of Df in the case of the channel 5i, where Df < Da.

[0092] Alternatively, the filter elements 27 are arranged as another intermediate layer between them.

[0093] In another embodiment, through the port 50, particles containing fluid can be transported to the cavities 2, 2.1, so as to ensure that particles of a certain size larger than Da are retained in the cavities 2, 2.1, while the channel 5i allows fluid to be transmitted between the cavities 2 and 2.1 to allow the fluid transported through the port 50 to mix. If soluble particles are transported to the cavities 2, 2.1, these particles will be retained in the cavities 2, 2.1 until these particles decompose into a size smaller than Da, thus ensuring that only a specified maximum concentration of the drug substance in these particles is transported to the external fluid 100.

[0094] If fluid is drawn from cavities 2, 2.1 through port 50, ensure that only particles with a particle size smaller than Da enter cavities 2, 2.1. For example, after appropriately selecting Da, red blood cells and white blood cells may be excluded from entering cavities 2, 2.1, while serum and platelets may be collected in cavities 2, 2.1 and drawn through port 50. Red blood cells typically have an average diameter in the range of about 7.5 μm and an average thickness of 2 μm, white blood cells typically have dimensions of 7 to 20 μm, but platelets only have dimensions in the range of 1 to 4 μm. Therefore, selecting Da in the range of 5 μm to 6 μm enables the above separation. This filtering device allows for local confinement and centralized real-time analysis of various blood properties of blood without the cumbersome and time-consuming extraction as in syringes or other invasive medical devices.

[0095] In Figure 13 it, the filter cascade is shown as an embodiment of the immersible dedicated filter element 1c, which includes four cavities 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5, each cavity being connected to a corresponding port 52, 53, 54, and 55. Cavities 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5 are defined by cutout regions in the intermediate substrate 4a.

[0096] In the first embodiment, channels 5.1 and 5 each include at least one partial channel 5a, 5b......, which may also be provided in the form of one or more nano voids according to future intended uses, having a diameter Da or a height and width Da. In this first embodiment, each channel 5i1, 5i2, 5i3 includes at least one partial channel 5a, 5b......, which may also be provided in the form of one or more nano voids according to future intended uses, the corresponding diameter Df1 of channel 5i1 < Da, the corresponding diameter Df2 of channel 5i2 < Da, and the corresponding diameter Df3 of channel 5i3 < Da, or the corresponding height and corresponding width Df1 of channel 5i1 < Da, the corresponding diameter Df2 of channel 5i2 < Da, and the corresponding diameter Df3 of channel 5i3 < Da.

[0097] In another embodiment, channels 5, 5.1, 5.i1, 5i2, 5i3 may also each include a filter element 27, 27.1, 27i, which has a filtering material such as paper, porous glass, for example having an effective filtration diameter in the case of channels 5 and 5.1, and Df1 < Da for channel 5i1, Df2 < Da for channel 5i2, and Df3 < Da for channel 5i3.

[0098] Depending on the dimensions of Df1, Df2, and Df3, a composite pharmaceutical mixture containing soluble particles of a composite mixture with dimensions larger than Df1, Df2, and / or Df3 can be obtained in cavities 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5, and the mixing can be affected by positive or negative pressure in ports 52, 53, 54, and 55. Then, the resulting mixture can be released from cavity 2.5 via channel 5 and from cavity 2.2 via channel 5.1 into the external fluid 100.

[0099] When fluids are drawn from cavities 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 through ports 52, 53, 54, 55, these fluids respectively contain filtered particles with specified dimensions, depending on the dimensions of Da, Df1, Df2, and / or Df3, thus allowing the selection of specified particle sizes to be drawn.

[0100] From Figure 14 Two cavity embodiments of the immersible dedicated filter element 1c can be seen, which include two cavities 2.6, 2.7. Cavity 2.7 has channels 5 and 5.2, and cavity 2.6 has channels 5.1 and 5.3. In this embodiment, the laser-emitting nanochannel array 28 is arranged in the intermediate substrate 4a, thus allowing enhanced lateral fluid exchange between cavities 2.7 and 2.8. The diameter of the nanochannels can be selected to provide a defined filtering effect between cavities 2.7 and 2.8.

[0101] The housing 1, the immersible sensor element 1a, the immersible donor element 1b, or the immersible dedicated filter element 1c can be part of a microfluidic device, especially within a complex analysis and / or treatment system that can be at least partially implanted in a patient's body for analysis and / or treatment purposes. However, the present invention is not limited to medical applications and can also be used in other environments, such as chemically harsh environments, where the materials disclosed herein have excellent fatigue strength.

[0102] Typically, during the production process, multiple housings 1 are provided, which include a common substrate, multiple common substrates, or all substrates are common substrates, and each housing has a cavity 2 inside. The housing 1 is cut so as to individualize each housing 1. That is to say, multiple housings 1 can be prepared and provided using the same method steps simultaneously. The method steps of this method for manufacturing the housing 1 generally include step A, in which the substrates are aligned with each other, such as substrates 3, 4, 4a (also referred to as wafers 3, 4, 4a). If applicable, in step A, components 21, 24, 26 to be sealed can be arranged in each housing 1. In step B, the wafers are stacked on top of each other to generate a wafer stack, where multiple housings 1 will be obtained. The wafers 3, 4a, 4 can be optically aligned with each other. Step C of the method includes laser welding each cavity of the wafers 3, 4a, 4. Step D can include separating or cutting the wafer stack respectively, so as to separate multiple housings from the wafer stack.

[0103] Figure 15 and Figure 16 shows an example of a housing 1 configured as a lab-on-a-chip element 1d, where Figure 15 shows a top view of the lab-on-a-chip element 1d. Figure 16 shows along Figure 15 the cross-sectional side view of the lab-on-a-chip element 1d along the line marked A - B in

[0104] The lab-on-a-chip element 1d includes a first substrate 3 and a second substrate 4 stacked on top of each other. The surface of the first substrate 3 is coated with a functionalized coating 60 on the surface facing the second substrate 4. The second substrate 4 has two through-holes, serving as openings 56. The fluid channel 5 connecting the two openings 56 is defined by a laser welding line 7 and connects the two openings 56. Since one of the surfaces of the fluid channel 5 is functionalized with the functionalized coating 60, the fluid channel 5 also serves as a functional area 2. At least one of the substrates 3, 4 is selected from crystalline materials, such as sapphire, so the introduction of the laser welding line 7 causes a local increase in the volume of the corresponding substrate material. Therefore, the corresponding substrates 3, 4 form a protrusion within the laser welding area, lifting the two substrates 3, 4 apart. The height of the formed protrusion defines the height of the fluid channel 5. The shape of the fluid channel 5 is defined by the arrangement of the laser welding line 7 and can be easily adapted to individual requirements.

[0105] The fluid to be processed can be introduced into one of the openings 56. By means of capillary force, the fluid will be transported through the fluid channel 5 and thus through the functional area 2. The fluid channel 5 has a meandering path, whereby the fluid to be analyzed will be in close contact with the functionalized coating 60. Depending on the selection of the functionalized coating 60, a reaction can occur between the fluid to be processed and the coating, for example, it can be detected by a color change.

[0106] It should be understood that any features according to any aspect of the present invention or related to any specific embodiment of the present invention herein can be used alone or in combination with any other features or aspects of the present invention or the embodiment. Specifically, the present invention is intended to cover a housing 1 configured to include any of the features described herein. Generally, it should be understood that any features disclosed herein can be individually a necessary feature of the present invention even if disclosed in combination with other features, whether disclosed in the specification, claims, and / or drawings.

[0107] It should also be understood that the above-described embodiments of the present invention are merely set forth by way of example and for the purpose of illustrating its principles, and further modifications and changes can be made therein without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0108] List of reference numerals: 1 Housing 1a Submersible sensor element for measuring fluid properties 1b Submersible donor element for changing or adjusting fluid properties 1c Submersible dedicated filter element 1d Lab-on-a-chip element 2 Functional region or cavity 2.1 Second functional region or cavity 2.2 Functional region or cavity 2.3 Functional region or cavity 2.4 Functional region or cavity 2.5 Functional region or cavity 2.6 Functional region or cavity 2.7 Functional region or cavity 3 At least one first substrate 4 Second substrate 4a Additional substrate, intermediate substrate or intermediate layer 5 Groove / passage, defining a channel, in particular a fluid channel between the inside of the housing 1 or cavity 2 and the exterior 99 or outside of the housing 1 or cavity 2 5.1 At least one second fluid channel 5.2 At least one second fluid channel 5.3 At least one second fluid channel 5.4 At least one second fluid channel 5a Partial channel 5b Partial channel 5i Intrinsic channel 5i1 Intrinsic channel 5i2 Intrinsic channel 5i3 Intrinsic channel 6a First laser welding line 6b Second laser welding line 6c Third laser welding line 7 Laser welding area or welding line 8 Surface to prevent ingrowth 11 Edge of glass stack / casing 12 Edge 15 Contact area or welding plane 21 Functional element 24 Pressure difference generating device, reservoir 26 Flow regulator 27 Filter element 27i Filter element 27i1 Filter element 27i2 Filter element 27i3 Filter element 28 Laser emission nanochannel 41 Outer side of the second substrate 43 Outer side of the first substrate 44 Inner side of the second substrate 46 Inner side of the first substrate 50 Port 51 Port 52 Port 52 Port 54 Port 55 Port 56 Opening 60 Functionalized coating 99 External 100 External fluid b Width of channel 5 in the transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of channel 5 and the welding plane of welding line 7 DF Distance from at least one laser welding area 7 and / or laser welding line 7 around functional area 2 to functional area 2 HL Height of the welding area in the direction perpendicular to its connection plane HL1 Height of the laser welding area HL inside the first substrate HL2 Height of the laser welding area HL inside the second substrate h Height of channel 5 in the direction perpendicular to the welding plane w Width of laser welding area 7 Δx Spacing between the last "weld point" of the laser welding line and the starting point of channel or groove 5 in the transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of channel 5

Claims

1. Housing (1), comprising: at least a first substrate (3) and a second substrate (4), wherein the first substrate is at least partially transparent and / or at least transparent for a wavelength bandwidth; at least one common laser welding area (7), wherein the materials of the first substrate and the second substrate are mixed, and wherein the laser welding area is designed such that the first substrate is permanently joined to the second substrate and / or provides an airtight seal between the first substrate and the second substrate; at least one functional area (2), for example comprising a cavity enclosed within the housing; at least one fluid channel (5) allowing fluid to flow between the functional area and the exterior (99), wherein the at least one fluid channel (5) has a height (h), and wherein the height (h) of the at least one fluid channel (5) is defined by: (i) an increase in the volume of the material of the first substrate (3) and / or the second substrate (4) within the laser welding area (7), and / or (ii) ablation and / or selective etching of the material of the first substrate (3) and / or the second substrate (4) outside the laser welding area (7).

2. The housing (1) according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first substrate (3) and the second substrate (4) is a crystalline material and is selected such that the phase change of the material within the laser welding area (7) is to an amorphous phase, and wherein the density of the amorphous phase is less than the density of the crystalline phase, whereby the volume of the material within the laser welding area (7) increases and a protrusion of amorphous material is formed within the laser welding area (7).

3. The housing (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the surface of the at least one fluid channel (5) formed by ablation of the first substrate (3) and / or the second substrate (4) has a structure comprising a plurality of adjacent, rounded, vaulted depressions.

4. The housing (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first substrate (3) comprises glass, glass-ceramic, plastic or a crystal such as sapphire, and / or wherein the second substrate (4) comprises glass, glass-ceramic, plastic, metal, silicon or a crystal such as sapphire, and / or wherein the second substrate (4) and / or the intermediate layer (4a) comprises a filter material such as paper, porous glass, for example and / or wherein the laser welding area (7) is arranged in a welding plane (15) such that the welding plane, for example, cuts the laser welding area along the center.

5. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one fluid channel (5) is defined by the laser welding area (7), for example by the shape or the extension dimension of the laser welding area, and / or wherein the fluid channel (5) constitutes a groove within the laser welding area (15).

6. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one fluid channel (5) is arranged in the welding plane (15), and / or wherein the height (h) of the at least one fluid channel (5) in a direction perpendicular to the welding plane (15) is less than or equal to the height of the welding area (7), and / or wherein the height of the laser welding area (7) within the first substrate (3) is HL1, and the height within the second substrate (4) is HL2 = h - HL1.

7. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one fluid channel (5) comprises a flat or substantially rectangular shape, and / or wherein the at least one fluid channel (5) comprises one or more ridges, and / or wherein at least one fluid channel (5) is provided on opposite sides of the housing, for example, one channel is provided on each side of the housing, and / or wherein the at least one fluid channel (5) is provided in the form of one or more nano voids.

8. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the functional area (2) comprises the cavity, and wherein the cavity is connected to the fluid channel (5), and further comprises a second cavity, wherein the second cavity is connected to the second fluid channel, wherein the first cavity communicates with the second cavity through a passage.

9. The housing (1) according to the previous claim, wherein the passage (5) comprises a passage diameter, and wherein the passage diameter is smaller than the diameter of the fluid channel and / or the second fluid channel.

10. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one channel (5) comprises a height (h) in a direction perpendicular to the welding plane (15), the height (h) being 10 nm or more, preferably 25 nm or more, more preferably 50 nm or more, more preferably 100 nm or more, or 300 nm or more, or even 500 nm or more, and / or wherein the at least one channel (5) comprises a height (h) in a direction perpendicular to the welding plane (15), the height (h) being 1000 nm or less, preferably 750 nm or less, more preferably 500 nm or less, more preferably 250 nm or less, or even 100 nm or less, and / or wherein the at least one channel (5) comprises a width (b) in the welding plane (15), the width (b) being at least 5 nm or more, further at least 20 nm or more, preferably 100 nm or more, more preferably 1 μm or more, or even 10 μm or more, or even 100 μm or more, and / or the width (b) is 2 mm or less, further 500 μm or less, preferably 200 μm or less, more preferably 50 μm or less.

11. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one fluid passage (5) provides a helium leak rate of more than 1×10 -8 (mbar·l) / s, preferably more than 1×10 -6 (mbar·l) / s, and / or provides a fluid flow rate of 5×10 -6 (mbar·l) / s or less, or 1×10 -4 (mbar·l) / s or less.

12. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a pressure difference generating device (24), such as a dilatable or contractible reservoir, an electromechanical pressurizing mechanism, a chemical potential gradient source or a micropump.

13. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, It also includes an anti-ingrowth surface located beside or around the at least one opening (5), and the anti-ingrowth surface includes, for example, a biocompatible material and / or a smooth and / or spiked surface.

14. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further includes a fluid property sensor (21) which is arranged on the exterior (99) of the housing and is exposed in a fully fluid-contact manner, and / or further includes at least one electrical connection from the functional region (2) to the exterior (99) of the housing.

15. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one laser welding region (7) extends from within the first substrate (3) into the second substrate (4), whereby material from the first substrate is mixed into the second substrate and / or material from the second substrate is mixed into the first substrate, so that the first substrate is permanently and directly joined to the second substrate, and / or wherein the first substrate (3) includes an outer surface (43), and wherein the second substrate (4) includes an outer surface (41), and wherein the at least one laser welding region (7) includes a first separation distance S1 to the outer surface of the first substrate and a second separation distance S2 to the outer surface of the second substrate, and / or wherein there is a convection region in the laser welding region (7), in which material from the first substrate (3) is mixed with material from the second substrate (4).

16. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the laser welding region (7) is part of the first and / or the second substrate (3, 4), and the refractive index of the laser welding region (7) is different from the refractive index of the non-welded part of the first substrate and / or the second substrate.

17. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the laser welding region (7) is arranged to surround the functional region (2), for example, circumferentially around the functional region, and / or wherein the laser welding region (7) is arranged such that it includes a third separation distance S3 to the at least one opening (5), and / or wherein at least one functional component (21) is arranged in the functional region (2), such as an electronic component, MEMS, MOEMS, or a medical dosage component, a medical sensor, or a fluid property sensor.

18. The housing (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one fluid channel includes at least one surface having a functionalized coating.

19. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the functional region includes at least one antibody, and / or the functional region is configured as a cavity containing living cells.

20. Use of the housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, as a sensor element, a wafer-level packaging component, a microlens complex, a micro-optical chip, an LED device, a laser diode device, a pharmaceutical package, a pharmaceutical product ejector, an immersible donor element, a blood property sensor, a lab-on-a-chip element, an immersible sensor element, an immersible filter element.

21. An immersible sensor element (1a) for measuring a fluid property such as blood pressure or blood glucose level, preferably comprising a housing according to any one of claims 1 to 19, and comprising: at least a first substrate (3) and a second substrate (4), wherein the first substrate is at least partially transparent and / or transparent at least for one wavelength bandwidth; at least one common laser welding area (7), wherein the materials of the first substrate and the second substrate are mixed, and the laser welding area is designed to permanently join the first substrate to the second substrate and / or provide an airtight seal between the first substrate and the second substrate; at least one functional area (2), for example including a cavity enclosed inside the housing, and including a sensor element (21), in particular a fluid sensor element (21); and at least one fluid channel (5) allowing fluid to flow between the functional area and the exterior (99).

22. An immersible donor element (1b) for changing or adjusting a fluid property, in particular for ejecting a pharmaceutical product, preferably comprising a housing according to one of claims 1 to 19, and comprising: at least a first substrate (3) and a second substrate (4), wherein the first substrate is at least transparent and / or transparent at least for one wavelength bandwidth; at least one common laser welding area (7), wherein the materials of the first substrate and the second substrate are mixed, and the laser welding area is designed such that the first substrate is permanently connected to the second substrate and / or provides an airtight seal between the first substrate and the second substrate; at least one functional area (2), for example including a cavity enclosed inside the housing, and including a donor fluid reservoir (24); at least one fluid channel (5) allowing fluid to flow between the functional area and the exterior (99).

23. The immersible donor element (1) according to the preceding claim, further comprising a controllable valve (26) for regulating the amount and / or time of the pharmaceutical product to be ejected.

24. An immersible dedicated filter element (1c) for deployment in a fluid (99), such as blood, which comprising: at least a first substrate (3) and additional substrates (4, 4a), wherein the first substrate is at least partially transparent and / or transparent at least for one wavelength bandwidth; At least one common laser welding area (7), in which the materials of the first substrate and the further substrate are mixed, and in which the laser welding area (7) is designed to permanently join the first substrate (3) to the further substrate (4, 4a) and / or to provide at least a partial gas-tight seal between the first substrate (3) and the further substrate (4, 4a); At least one functional area (2) includes a cavity; At least a first fluid channel (5) allowing fluid to flow into the functional area from the outside (99), and at least a second fluid channel (5.1, 5.2,......) allowing fluid to flow out to the fluid (99), wherein the second fluid channel (5.1, 5.2,......) is designed such that when the fluid flows through the filter element, optional particles or components of the fluid are retained within the cavity 2, wherein the first fluid channel (5) has a height and the second fluid channel (5.1, 5.2,......) has a height, and wherein the respective heights of the first fluid channel (5) and the second fluid channel (5.1, 5.2,......) are defined by: (i) an increase in the volume of the material of the first substrate (3) and / or the further substrate (4, 4a) within the laser welding area (7), and / or (ii) ablation and / or selective etching of the material of the first substrate (3) and / or the further substrate (4, 4a) outside the laser welding area (7).

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