Biocompatible bonding method suitable for implantation

摘要

The invention is directed to a method of bonding a hermetically sealed electronics package to an electrode or a flexible circuit and the resulting electronics package, that is suitable for implantation in living tissue, such as for a retinal or cortical electrode array to enable restoration of sight to certain non-sighted individuals. The hermetically sealed electronics package is directly bonded to the flex circuit or electrode by electroplating a biocompatible material, such as platinum or gold, effectively forming a plated rivet-shaped connection, which bonds the flex circuit to the electronics package. The resulting electronic device is biocompatible and is suitable for long-term implantation in living tissue.

主权项

1. A method of making an implantable device comprising:
forming a substrate including an electrically non-conductive body and electrically conductive feedthroughs through the electrically non-conductive body; forming first bond pads on a first side of the substrate electrically connected to the feedthroughs; attaching electronics to a second side of the of the substrate and electrically connecting the electronics to the feedthroughs; attaching a cover to the second side of the substrate forming a hermetic package enclosing the electronics; forming a flexible circuit having a first polymer layer, conductive traces on the first polymer layer, and a second polymer layer on the conductive traces, the first polymer layer defining voids connecting second bond pads to the conductive traces; and aligning the first bond pads with the second bond pads and bonding the flexible circuit to the substrate.