Hermetic feedthrough for an implantable device
First Claim
1. A hermetically sealed package suitable for implantation in living tissue, said package comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of surfaces and having an integrated circuit formed as an integral portion of at least one of said surfaces, said integrated circuit having one or more electrically conductive pads for communicating and/or providing power to said integrated circuit;
one or more electrical pathways formed as an integral portion of said semiconductor substrate for providing electrical connection to said one or more electrically conductive pads, said pathways having first ends coupled to said one or more pads and second ends exposed for external electrical connection from said sealed package, wherein said second ends are formed from biocompatible material having sufficient uniformity and/or thickness to ensure hermeticity of said electrical pathways; and
an insulating coating material for encapsulating said integrated circuit and said semiconductor substrate surfaces except for selected portions of said second ends of said electrical pathways wherein said hermetically sealed package is thereby suitable for implantation in living tissue without further packaging.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides an implantable substrate sensor comprising electronic circuitry formed within, or on, a substrate. A protective coating then covers the substrate, forming a hermetically sealed package having the circuitry under the coating. The circuitry has electrically conductive pads for communicating and/or providing power to the circuitry. Electrical pathways provide hermetic electrical connection to the conductive pads for external connection to the sealed circuitry. In a first embodiment, the pathway is a via that is made from a biocompatible material that is made hermetic by either increasing its thickness or by ion beam deposition. Alternatively, the pathways are formed from metal traces, surrounded by a biocompatible insulation material, essentially parallel to the surface of the substrate that are connected to the conductive pads by first vias and have second ends externally accessible to the sealed package to provide external electrical connection to the hermetically sealed circuitry within.
-
Citations
23 Claims
-
1. A hermetically sealed package suitable for implantation in living tissue, said package comprising:
-
a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of surfaces and having an integrated circuit formed as an integral portion of at least one of said surfaces, said integrated circuit having one or more electrically conductive pads for communicating and/or providing power to said integrated circuit;
one or more electrical pathways formed as an integral portion of said semiconductor substrate for providing electrical connection to said one or more electrically conductive pads, said pathways having first ends coupled to said one or more pads and second ends exposed for external electrical connection from said sealed package, wherein said second ends are formed from biocompatible material having sufficient uniformity and/or thickness to ensure hermeticity of said electrical pathways; and
an insulating coating material for encapsulating said integrated circuit and said semiconductor substrate surfaces except for selected portions of said second ends of said electrical pathways wherein said hermetically sealed package is thereby suitable for implantation in living tissue without further packaging. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A hermetically sealed package suitable for implantation in living tissue, said package comprising:
-
a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of surfaces and having an integrated circuit formed on at least one of said surfaces, said integrated circuit having one or more electrically conductive pads for communicating and/or providing power to said integrated circuit;
one or more electrical pathways for providing electrical connection to said one or more electrically conductive pads, said pathways having first ends coupled to said one or more pads and second ends exposed for external electrical connection from said sealed package;
an insulating material for encapsulating said integrated circuit and said semiconductor substrate surfaces except for selected portions of said second ends of said electrical pathways; and
wherein each of said electrical pathways comprises;
a first electrically conductive via electrically coupled to one of said pads;
a metal trace having first and second ends oriented essentially parallel to the surface of the semiconductor substrate and electrically coupled at said first end to said first via, wherein said second end is at least partially externally exposed; and
whereinsaid electrical pathway is surrounded by a biocompatible insulation material. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A hermetically sealed package suitable for implantation in living tissue, said package comprising:
-
a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of surfaces and having an integrated circuit formed on at least one of said surfaces, said integrated circuit having one or more electrically conductive pads for communicating and/or providing power to said integrated circuit;
one or more electrical pathways for providing electrical connection to said one or more electrically conductive pads, said pathways having first ends coupled to said one or more pads and second ends exposed for external electrical connection from said sealed package;
an insulating material for encapsulating said integrated circuit and said semiconductor substrate surfaces except for selected portions of said second ends of said electrical pathways; and
wherein at least one of said electrically conductive pathways is comprised of;
a plurality of metal traces having first and second ends, including at least an innermost trace closest to said semiconductor substrate and an outermost trace furthest from said semiconductor substrate, each adjacent pair of metal traces separated by an insulating material sandwiched in-between so as to form a hermetic seal between said metal traces;
at least one interconnection via surrounded by said insulating material for interconnecting said adjacent pairs of metal traces;
at least one innermost via for interconnecting said innermost trace to at least one of said pads on said integrated circuit;
an insulating material for encapsulating said plurality of metal traces, said integrated circuit and said semiconductor substrate, wherein the second end of at least one outermost metal trace is at least partially exposed through the encapsulating insulating material for external communication; and
whereinsaid combination of metal traces, sandwiched insulating material, encapsulating material and vias provides a hermetic communication path to said integrated circuit from a location external to said implantable package.
-
-
12. A method of forming an electrically conductive hermetic connection to a hermetically sealed integrated circuit, said method comprising the steps of:
-
forming an integrated circuit as an integral portion of the face of a semiconductor substrate, said integrated circuit having one or more electrically conductive pads for communicating and/or providing power to said integrated circuit;
forming one or more electrical pathways as an integral portion of said semiconductor substrate for providing electrical connection to said one or more electrically conductive pads;
said pathways having first ends coupled to said one or more pads and second ends exposed for external electrical connection from said sealed integrated circuit, wherein said second ends are formed from biocompatible material having sufficient uniformity and/or thickness to ensure hermeticity of said electrical pathways; and
encapsulating said semiconductor substrate and said integrated circuit except for selected portions of said second ends of said electrical pathways with an insulating coating material wherein said hermetically sealed circuit is thereby suitable for implantation in living tissue without further packaging. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A method of forming an electrically conductive hermetic connection to a hermetically sealed integrated circuit, said method comprising the steps of:
-
forming an integrated circuit on a face of a semiconductor substrate, said integrated circuit having one or more electrically conductive pads for communicating and/or providing power to said integrated circuit;
forming one or more electrical pathways for providing electrical connection to said one or more electrically conductive pads;
said pathways having first ends coupled to said one or more pads and second ends exposed for external electrical connection from said sealed integrated circuit;
encapsulating said semiconductor substrate and said integrated circuit except for selected portions of said second ends of said electrical pathways; and
wherein the step of forming one or more electrical pathways comprises at least in part the steps of;
forming a first electrically conductive via electrically coupled to one of said pads;
forming a metal trace having first and second ends oriented essentially parallel to the surface of the semiconductor substrate and electrically coupled at said first end to said first via, wherein said second end of said metal trace is at least partially externally exposed; and
surrounding said electrical pathway by a biocompatible insulation material. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A method of forming an electrically conductive hermetic connection to a hermetically sealed integrated circuit, said method comprising the steps of:
-
forming an integrated circuit on a face of a semiconductor substrate, said integrated circuit having one or more electrically conductive pads for communicating and/or providing power to said integrated circuit;
forming one or more electrical pathways for providing electrical connection to said one or more electrically conductive pads;
said pathways having first ends coupled to said one or more pads and second ends exposed for external electrical connection from said sealed integrated circuit;
encapsulating said semiconductor substrate and said integrated circuit except for selected portions of said second ends of said electrical pathways; and
wherein the step of forming one or more electrical pathways comprises at least in part the steps of;
forming a plurality of metal traces having first and second ends, including at least an innermost trace closest to said semiconductor substrate and an outermost trace furthest from said semiconductor substrate, each adjacent pair of metal traces separated by an insulating material sandwiched in-between so as to form a hermetic seal between said metal traces;
forming at least one interconnection via surrounded by said insulating material for interconnecting said adjacent pairs of metal traces;
forming at least one innermost via for interconnecting said innermost trace to at least one of said pads on said integrated circuit;
depositing an insulating material for encapsulating said plurality of metal traces, said integrated circuit and said semiconductor substrate;
enabling at least a portion of one said second end of an outermost metal trace to be partially externally exposed through the encapsulating insulating material for external communication; and
whereinsaid combination of metal traces, sandwiched insulating material, encapsulating material and vias provides a hermetic communication path to said integrated circuit from a location external to said implantable package.
-
Specification