Hermetic packaging challenges

Electronic components of neural prostheses must survive and function under challenging conditions. They are exposed not only to the corrosive effects of saline fluids but also to natural foreign-body reactions. Hermetic packaging can delay the attack but it is not practical to seal the whole unit. The key to survival and reliable performance of neural implants is the selection of insulating materials that will neither harm the body nor be harmed by it. 

Technology Advances and Challenges in Hermetic Packaging for Implantable Medical Devices... 

Many issues associated with hermetic packaging have yet to be completely understood, let alone overcome. The continued miniaturization of future implantable medical devices provides both opportunities and challenges for packaging/materials engineers to improve the current packaging methods and to develop new methods. Reliable hermetic micropackaging technologies are the key to a wide utilization of MEMS in miniaturized implantable medical devices. 

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