Rogier Receveur

Wafer level hermetic package and device testing of a SOI-MEMS switch for biomedical applications

We have designed a wafer level chip scale package for a bi-stable SOI-MEMS dc switch using a silicon-glass hermetic seal with through the lid feedthroughs. Bonded at 365 °C, 230 V and 250 kg, they pass the fine/gross leak test after thermal cycling and mechanical shock/vibration according to MIL-STD-833, fulfilling the requirements for biomedical applications. The measured shear strength is 114 ± 26 N in correspondence with the theoretically expected 100 N. Ruthenium microcontacts are a factor of 100 more robust than gold microcontacts, being stable over 106 cycles measured in a N2 atmosphere inside the package presented here. Future work will include a more extensive bond quality assessment and continued microcontact reliability measurements.

3.14 – Medical Applications

This chapter contains an overview of medical applications of microsystems and emerging technologies for medical microsystems. The percent of the gross domestic product spent on healthcare has been rising in the United States and around the world. Microsystem technologies can reduce the cost of delivering healthcare and enable smaller, less invasive implantable medical microsystems. In Section 3.14.1, the clinical applications of medical microsystems are outlined, along with the current solutions, including diagnostic, monitoring, and therapeutic solutions, as well as what is on the horizon. Research to find new ways to diagnose, monitor, and treat patients and some specific microsystems that hold great promise for improving the management of these patients are described. Clinical areas overviewed include cardiovascular, neurological, obesity, gastroenterology and urology, spinal and orthopedic, and ophthalmic and auditory applications.