Laser fabrication of electrical feedthroughs in polymer encapsulations for active implantable medical devices.
Hermetic electrical feedthroughs are essential for safe and functional active implantable biomedical devices and for a wide range of other applications such as batteries, supercapacitors, OLEDs and solar cells. Ceramics and metals have previously been the materials of choice for encapsulations, while polymers have advantages of ease of mass production and end user compatibility. We demonstrate a laser sealing technology that gives hermetic, mechanically strong feedthroughs with low electrical resistance in a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) encapsulation. The conductive pathways are wires and sputtered thin films. The water vapor transmission rate through the fabricated encapsulations is comparable to that of PEEK itself.
School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Zara
Z
Gough
Raymax Lasers®, 37/5 Ponderosa Parade, Warriewood, NSW 2102, Australia.
Cedric
C
Chaminade
Raymax Lasers®, 37/5 Ponderosa Parade, Warriewood, NSW 2102, Australia.
Philip
P
Barclay-Monteith
School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Annukka
A
Kallinen
School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Wenwen
W
Lei
School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Rajesh
R
Ganesan
Raymax Lasers®, 37/5 Ponderosa Parade, Warriewood, NSW 2102, Australia.
John
J
Grace
School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address: d.mckenzie@physics.usyd.edu.au.
David R
DR
McKenzie
D001577:Benzophenones; D002214:Capsules; D017097:Electric Impedance; D007659:Ketones / Q000737:chemistry*; D007834:Lasers; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
D001577:Benzophenones; D002214:Capsules; D007659:Ketones; D011108:Polymers; C063834:polyetheretherketone; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
Bionic implants; Hermetic feedthroughs; Laser joining; Polyetheretherketone; Polymer encapsulations; Water vapor transmission rate