Biocompatible Electroplated Interconnection Bonding Method and Electronics Package Suitable for Implantation

摘要

The invention is directed to a method of bonding a hermetically sealed electronics package to an electrode or a flexible circuit and the resulting electronics package that is suitable for implantation in living tissue, such as for a retinal or cortical electrode array to enable restoration of sight to certain non-sighted individuals. The hermetically sealed electronics package is directly bonded to the flex circuit or electrode by electroplating a biocompatible material, such as platinum or gold, effectively forming a plated rivet-shaped connection, which bonds the flex circuit to the electronics package. The resulting electronic device is biocompatible and is suitable for long-term implantation in living tissue. The present invention is directed to a device comprising a substrate containing at least one contact, a flexible assembly containing at least one pad, and electroplated bonding between said contact and said pad that bonds said substrate and said flexible assembly together. The present invention is directed to a method of bonding for implantation a substrate to a flexible assembly, said method comprising the steps of: aligning said substrate and said flexible assembly, whereby there is a common alignment for a contact on said substrate and contact pads on said flexible assembly, and electroplating bonding between said contacts and said pads, thereby bonding said flexible assembly to said substrate.