US6033582A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Surface modification of medical implants
Assignee: Etex Corp
•
Filing: 1998-01-16
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Granted: 2000-03-07
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Expires: 2018-01-16
Abstract
Abstract An irregularly etched medical implant device is provided having random non-uniform relief patterns on the surface ranging from about 0.3 μm to less than about 20 μm in depth. The random, irregular surface as defined by the etch micromorphology and respective dimensional properties are obtained by exposing a surface to a reactive plasma in a chamber wherein said reactive plasma produces a reaction product with the surface to thereby etch the surface, said reaction product or a complex thereof having a vapor pressure lower than a pressure in the chamber; providing a dynamic masking agent during the etching process; and removing the reaction products.
Inventors
- 👤 Dosuk D. Lee
- 👤 Atul Nagras
- 👤 Pramod Chakravarthy
- 👤 Anthony M. Majahad
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 09:49
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61L; A61L27/00; A61L27/36; A61L27/38; A61L27/3839; A61L27/50; A61L27/56; C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/22; C23C14/34; C23F; C23F4/00; A61L2400/00; A61L2400/18
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
81 words
A method for the production of a random, irregular surface on an article, comprising: exposing an article having a polymer surface to a plasma comprised of a reactive etching species that etches the surface by producing a volatile reaction product with the substrate and a second species selected to promote dynamic masking of the substrate, said dynamic masking comprising in situ deposition and removal of a species having etching properties different than the substrate, to obtain non-uniform etching of the substrate.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
81 words
A method for the production of a random, irregular surface on an article, comprising: exposing an article having a polymer surface to a plasma comprised of a reactive etching species that etches the surface by producing a volatile reaction product with the substrate and a second species selected to promote dynamic masking of the substrate, said dynamic masking comprising in situ deposition and removal of a species having etching properties different than the substrate, to obtain non-uniform etching of the substrate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said second species comprises a plasma species capable of producing a sputtering effect.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the plasma species is selected from the group consisting of argon, helium and nitrogen.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 2, further comprising redeposition of ions sputtered from the surface of the substrate.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 2, further comprising redeposition of said volatile reaction product.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 2, further comprising deposition of ions onto the surface sputtered from a sputtering target.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 6, wherein the sputtering target comprises a form of calcium phosphate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the second species is a contaminant selected from the group consisting of water vapor, carbon dioxide, dust, particulates and sputtered ions from impurities of the substrate, a holder supporting the article or walls from a chamber housing the article.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the plasma further comprises a noble gas.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
72 words
A method of preparing an article for use as a medical device having a roughened surface amenable to bioadhesion, comprising; exposing a polymeric surface of a medical device to a plasma comprised of a reactive etching species that etches the surface by producing a reaction product with the substrate; and removing the reaction products to obtain a surface having random and irregular etched features of greater than about 0.1 μm in depth.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
72 words
A method of preparing an article for use as a medical device having a roughened surface amenable to bioadhesion, comprising; exposing a polymeric surface of a medical device to a plasma comprised of a reactive etching species that etches the surface by producing a reaction product with the substrate; and removing the reaction products to obtain a surface having random and irregular etched features of greater than about 0.1 μm in depth.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the reactive species comprises a species selected from the group consisting of water vapor, oxygen and hydrogen.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the reactive species comprises a fluorine-containing compound.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the plasma fuirther comprises ions sputtered from a sputtering target material.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 13, wherein the sputtering target material comprises a calcium phosphate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the medical device is selected from the group consisting of artificial organs, artificial blood vessels and vascular grafts, heart valves, blood oxygenators, catheters, electrodes, and implant wires.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 or 10, wherein the method produces etching features on the surface having a relief depth of greater than about 1 micron.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 16, wherein the method produces shallow etching features on the surface having a relief depth in the range of about 1-5 microns and deep etching features in the range of about 5-20 microns.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 or 10, further comprising: chemically modifying the surface of the article to increase adhesion or improve biocompatibility of the article.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 or 10, further comprising: physical abrasion of the surface after exposure to the plasma.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 or 10, further comprising: applying a coating to the irregular surface.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 19, wherein the coating is selected from the group consisting of organic polymers and forms of calcium phosphate.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the reactive etching species comprises water vapor.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1 or 10, wherein the surface comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of poly(L-lactic acid), poly(glycolic acid) [PGA], polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, polysulphone, poly(tetrafluoroethylene), poly(methyl methacrylate), polyacrylonitrile, polyamide, poly(vinyl chloride), polyacetal and polyester resins.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 or 10, wherein pressure of a chamber housing the article is in the range of 0.01 Torr to about 1 Torr.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 or 10, wherein power levels of the plasma are modulated over fixed intervals.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 25, wherein the plasma power level is at radio frequencies at 13.56 MHz and harmonic multiples thereof.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 or 10, wherein the article is isothermally or incrementally cooled.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 or 10, wherein the article is isothermally or incrementally heated.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 or 10, wherein the surface is sonicated in situ.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-03-07 | 2003-09-06 | 2004-03-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-03-07 | 2007-09-06 | 2008-03-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-03-07 | 2011-09-06 | 2012-03-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |