Investigation on the hermeticity of an implantable package with 32 feedthroughs for neural prosthetic applications

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2016 Aug:2016:1967-1970. doi: 10.1109/EMBC.2016.7591109.

Abstract

This paper presents an implantable package aimed at hosting a bidirectional neural interface for neural prosthetic applications. The package has been conceived to minimize the invasivity for the patient, for this reason a cylindrical container with an outer diameter of 7 mm and a length of 21 mm has been designed. The package, realized in alumina (Al2O3), presents 32 hermetic feedthroughs located at the top and bottom base of the cylinder. The hermetic housing has been assembled using a low-temperature soldering method based on a previous platinum/gold (Pt/Au) metallization of the ceramic parts. The package's hermeticity has been successfully proved by means of in-vitro tests, exhibiting an increase in the inner relative humidity of 20 %RH over 75 days of observation.

MeSH terms

  • Aluminum Oxide
  • Ceramics
  • Drug Packaging
  • Humans
  • Platinum
  • Prostheses and Implants*

Substances

  • Platinum
  • Aluminum Oxide