Biocompatible bonding method and electronics package suitable for implantation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9849297-B2
Application number	US-201615356466-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2016
Priority date	Apr 11, 2002
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

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 studbump 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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of making an implantable electronic device comprising:
forming a hermetic electronics control unit including a contact,
forming a flexible circuit including a first thin film flexible electrically insulating substrate, an electrically conducting metal layer deposited on the first insulating layer, a second thin film flexible electrically insulating substrate deposited on the electrically conducting metal layer, at least one bond pad defining a through hole entirely through the flexible circuit;
providing weldable material which is electrically conductive and biocompatible;
aligning the weldable material, bond pad, and the contact; and
wielding the weldable material, bond pad and contact together; and
cutting the weldable material.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the weldable material is a wire.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the weldable materials is a ribbon.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the weldable material is a sheet.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of welding is by a parallel gap welder.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the weldable materials is a wire, the step of welding is by a parallel gap welder and the parallel gap welder pushes the wire into the through hole.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the weldable material is selected from the group consisting of platinum, alloys of platinum and platinum-iridium.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the weldable material is platinum.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the weldable material is platinum wire.

Assignees

• Second Sight Medical Products Inc

Inventors

• Greenberg Robert J
• Talbot Neil
• Ok Jerry
• Neysmith Jordan
• Zhou David

Classifications

• A61N1/375

  Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings · CPC title

• H05K3/4084

  by deforming at least one of the conductive layers · CPC title

• H05K3/3436

  having an array of bottom contacts, e.g. pad grid array or ball grid array components · CPC title

• H05K3/328

  by welding · CPC title

• H05K3/4015

  using auxiliary conductive elements, e.g. pieces of metal foil, metallic spheres · CPC title