Features in substrates and methods of forming

Abstract

The described embodiments relate to features in substrates and methods of forming same. One exemplary embodiment can be a microdevice that includes a substrate extending between a first substrate surface and a generally opposing second substrate surface, and at least one feature formed into the first surface along a bore axis that is not transverse to the first surface.

1 . A microdevice comprising: 
 a substrate having a first substrate surface and a generally opposing second substrate surface; and,    multiple features formed through the substrate between the first surface and the second surface, wherein at least one feature extends into and out of the substrate along a bore axis, and wherein the bore axis is not transverse to the first surface.    
   
   
       2 . The microdevice of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the multiple features comprise electrical interconnects.  
   
   
       3 . The microdevice of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the multiple features comprise fluid-handling slots.  
   
   
       4 . The microdevice of  claim 1 , wherein at least some features extend within the substrate along a long axis and have a generally uniform width between the first surface and the second surface as measured transverse to the long axis.  
   
   
       5 . The microdevice of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one feature extends along a long axis that defines an angle of less than 90 degrees relative to a plane of the first surface.  
   
   
       6 . The microdevice of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one features extends along a long axis that defines an angle in a range of 10 degrees to 80 degrees relative to a plane the first surface.  
   
   
       7 . The microdevice of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one feature extends along a long axis that defines an angle of less than 90 degrees relative to a plane of the first surface.  
   
   
       8 . The microdevice of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one feature extends along a long axis that defines an angle in a range of 10 degrees to 80 degrees relative to a plane of the first surface.  
   
   
       9 . The microdevice of  claim 1 , wherein a first feature of the multiple features has a bore axis that is transverse to the first surface and a second feature of the multiple features has a bore axis that is not transverse to the first surface.  
   
   
       10 . The microdevice of  claim 1 , wherein an individual feature of the multiple features extends between the first surface and the second surface along a long axis that is generally parallel to the first surface, wherein a cross-sectional area of the individual feature is substantially a parallelogram.  
   
   
       11 . The microdevice of  claim 1  embodied as a print head.  
   
   
       12 . A microdevice comprising: 
 a substrate extending between a first substrate surface and a generally opposing second substrate surface; and,    at least one feature formed into the substrate along a bore axis that is not transverse to the first surface and is not parallel to the first surface.    
   
   
       13 . The microdevice of  claim 12 , wherein the feature is formed in a substrate sidewall surface.  
   
   
       14 . The microdevice of  claim 13 , wherein the feature extends between the substrate sidewall surface and the first surface.  
   
   
       15 . The microdevice of  claim 13 , wherein the substrate sidewall surface is oriented obliquely to the first substrate surface.  
   
   
       16 . The microdevice of  claim 13 , wherein the substrate sidewall surface extends between the first substrate surface and the second substrate surface.  
   
   
       17 . The microdevice of  claim 12 , wherein the feature is defined by at least one sidewall and wherein a first portion of the sidewall is generally transverse the first surface and a second different portion of the sidewall is not transverse the first surface.  
   
   
       18 . The microdevice of  claim 12 , wherein the feature is defined by at least one sidewall and wherein a first portion of the sidewall and a second portion of the sidewall are not transverse the first surface, and the first portion lies at a first angle relative the first surface and the second portion lies at a second different angle.  
   
   
       19 . The microdevice of  claim 12 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the feature approximates an ellipsoid at the first surface.  
   
   
       20 . The microdevice of  claim 12 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the feature approximates a rectangle at the first surface.  
   
   
       21 . The microdevice of  claim 12 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the feature approximates a regular geometric shape at the first surface.  
   
   
       22 . The microdevice of  claim 12 , wherein the feature extends between the first surface and the second surface.  
   
   
       23 . The microdevice of  claim 12 , wherein the bore axis lies at an angle in a range of about 10 degrees to about 80 degrees relative to the first surface.  
   
   
       24 . The microdevice of  claim 12 , wherein the bore axis lies at an angle in a range of about 60 degrees to about 80 degrees relative to the first surface.  
   
   
       25 . The microdevice of  claim 12 , wherein the bore axis lies at an angle in a range of about 40 degrees to about 59 degrees relative to the first surface.  
   
   
       26 . The microdevice of  claim 12 , wherein the bore axis lies at an angle in a range of about 20 degrees to about 39 degrees relative to the first surface.  
   
   
       27 . The microdevice of  claim 12  embodied as a display device.  
   
   
       28 . The microdevice of  claim 12  embodied as an integrated circuit.  
   
   
       29 . A microdevice comprising: 
 a substrate defined at least in part by a first substrate surface; and,    at least one feature formed into the substrate along a bore axis that is not transverse to the first surface and is not parallel to the first surface.    
   
   
       30 . The microdevice of  claim 29 , wherein the feature is formed in the first surface.  
   
   
       31 . The microdevice of  claim 29 , wherein the feature extends between the first surface and a second surface.  
   
   
       32 . The microdevice of  claim 31 , wherein the second surface is oriented obliquely to the first surface.  
   
   
       33 . The microdevice of  claim 31 , wherein the second surface is oriented orthogonally to the first surface.  
   
   
       34 . A print head comprising: 
 a substrate extending between a first substrate surface and a generally opposing second substrate surface; and,    multiple fluid-handling slots formed through the substrate between the first surface and the second surface, wherein at the first surface the multiple slots define a first footprint having a first area and wherein at the second surface the multiple slots define a second footprint having a second area, and wherein the first area is at least about 10 percent greater than the second area.    
   
   
       35 . The print head of  claim 34 , wherein the first footprint has a first width taken orthogonally to a long axis of the slots and the second footprint has a second width taken orthogonally to the long axis of the slots, and wherein the first width is at least about 10 percent greater than the second width.  
   
   
       36 . The print head of  claim 35 , wherein the first width is at least about 20 percent greater than the second width.  
   
   
       37 . A fluid-ejecting device comprising: 
 a substrate extending between a first substrate surface and a generally opposing second substrate surface; and,    at least one fluid-handling slot extending between the first surface and the second surface along a long axis that is generally parallel to the first surface, wherein when viewed transverse the long axis the slot has a first width at the first surface defining a first midpoint and a second width at the second surface defining a second midpoint and wherein a line intersecting the first midpoint and the second midpoint is not orthogonal to the first surface.    
   
   
       38 . The fluid-ejecting device of  claim 37 , wherein the first width is greater than the second width.  
   
   
       39 . The fluid-ejecting device of  claim 38 , wherein the at least one slot has a slot profile when viewed transverse the long axis that generally tapers from the second surface to the first surface.  
   
   
       40 . A microdevice forming method comprising: 
 removing substrate material from a first surface of a substrate to form a feature therein, and,    wherein the feature extends along a bore axis that is not transverse the first surface.    
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 40 , further comprising removing substrate material from a second substrate surface which in combination with said removing substrate material from a first surface forms the feature.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein said removing substrate material from a second substrate surface occurs prior to said removing substrate material from a first surface.  
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein said removing substrate material from a second substrate surface comprises one or more of etching, sawing and laser machining and said removing substrate material from a first surface comprises one or more of etching, sawing and laser machining.  
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the removing comprises laser machining the substrate at least in part by directing a laser beam at the substrate at a first angle relative to the first surface and then directing the laser beam at a second different angle relative to the first surface.  
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the removing comprises laser machining the substrate at least in part by directing a laser beam at the substrate at a first angle relative to the first surface and from a direction sufficient to contact the first surface before contacting a second surface and then directing the laser beam at a second different angle relative to the first surface and from a direction sufficient to contact the second surface before contacting the first surface.  
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the removing comprises directing a laser beam at the first surface so that the laser beam is oriented at an angle in a range of about 10 degrees to about 80 degrees relative to the first surface.  
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the removing comprises directing a laser beam at the first surface so that the laser beam is oriented at an angle in a range of about 60 degrees to about 80 degrees relative to the first surface.  
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the removing comprises directing a laser beam at the first surface so that the laser beam is oriented at an angle in a range of about 40 degrees to about 59 degrees relative to the first surface.  
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the removing comprises directing a laser beam at the first surface so that the laser beam is oriented at an angle in a range of about 20 degrees to about 39 degrees relative to the first surface.  
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the removing forms the feature extending between the first surface and a generally opposing second surface.