Biocompatible packaging

• US 10,271,796 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2015
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IMEC International
• Original Assignee: IMEC International
• Inventors: Op De Beeck, Maria, Beyne, Eric, Soussan, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Munoz, Andres
• Application Number:
  US14/696,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20150297136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 438127, 438114, 438113, 438464, 438465, 438462, 257E21602
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/028 Microscale sensors, e.g. electromechanical sensors [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/686 Permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips A61B5/6861 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6861 Capsules, e.g. for swallowing or implanting
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0244 Micromachined materials, e.g. made from silicon wafers, microelectromechanical systems [MEMS] or comprising nanotechnology
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/375 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3756 Casings with electrodes thereon, e.g. leadless stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45015 being circular
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/451 with a principal constituent of the material being a metal or a metalloid, e.g. boron (B), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te) and polonium (Po), and alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3114 the device being a chip scale package, e.g. CSP
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00015 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed as prior art
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1461 : MEMS
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 : Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/207 : Diameter ranges

Abstract

A method is disclosed for packaging a device, e.g., for bio-medical applications. In one aspect, the method includes obtaining a component on a substrate and separating the component and a first part of the substrate from a second part of the substrate using at least one physical process inducing at least one sloped side wall on the first part of the substrate. The method also includes providing an encapsulation for the chip. The resulting packaged chip advantageously has a good step coverage resulting in a good hermeticity, less sharp edges resulting in a reduced risk of damaging or infection after implantation and has a relatively small packaged volume compared to conventional big box packaging techniques.

Claims

1. An implantable bio-medical device, the device comprising a component present on a substrate, the component and the substrate hermetically sealed within an encapsulation, the encapsulation comprising a continuous layer of biocompatible material around all outer surfaces of the component and the substrate, the substrate comprising at least one sloped side wall between a top surface and a bottom surface of the substrate, wherein the continuous layer of bio-compatible material around all outer surfaces of the component and the substrate comprises a bi-directional diffusion barrier whereby no element from the device diffuses into a site of implantation and no element from the site of implantation diffuses into the device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one sloped side wall is oriented non-perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a sloped side wall at each corner of the substrate such that all corners of the implantable bio-medical device are rounded.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the component comprises one of an integrated circuit, an actuator, a sensor, a microfluidic device, and a battery.

5. A hermetic implantable system comprising at least two implantable bio-medical devices according to claim 1 encapsulated within a global biocompatible encapsulation layer.

6. A hermetically encapsulated biocompatible device for bio-medical applications, the device comprising a component on a substrate, the component and the substrate hermetically sealed within an encapsulation around all outer surfaces of the component and the substrate, the encapsulation comprising stacked layers fully encapsulating the device, at least one of the layers being formed of a bio-compatible material, the substrate comprising at least one rounded edge between a top surface and a bottom surface of the substrate.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the at least one rounded edge comprises a sloped side wall that is oriented non-perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the encapsulation comprises a capping layer of bio-compatible material.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the capping layer comprises a bi-directional diffusion barrier.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the encapsulation further comprises a second layer over the capping layer.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the second layer comprises silicone.

12. The device of claim 6, further comprising a membrane configured to sense pressure.