title: A device for vacuum drying, inert gas backfilling and solder sealing of hermetic implant packages.
abstract: Modern implanted devices utilize microelectronics that have to be protected from the body fluids in order to maintain their functionality over decades. Moisture protection of implants is addressed by enclosing the electronic circuits into gas-tight packages. In this paper we describe a device that allows custom-built hermetic implant packages to be vacuum-dried (removing residual moisture from inside the package), backfilled with an inert gas at adjustable pressure and hermetically sealed employing a solder seal. A typical operation procedure of the device is presented.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biomedical Microtechnology, Dept. of Microsystems Engineering - IMTEK, University of Freiburg, Germany. schuettler@ieee.org
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schuettler
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huegle
authors.forename: Juan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ordonez
authors.forename: Juergen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilde
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stieglitz
mesh_terms: D003890:Desiccation / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006371:Helium / Q000737:chemistry*; D019064:Product Packaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D014618:Vacuum; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014896:Welding / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D006371:Helium