PCTFE Polymer Enclosure for Hermetic Wire Passthrough
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional materials used for implantable device enclosures, such as glass and metal, are inadequate for handling large numbers of tightly spaced wires, as they can crack or fail when manufactured with closely spaced openings, limiting the development of advanced implantable devices like brain-machine interfaces.
Innovation Solution
A polymer enclosure made of polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) with a passthrough slit design, where insulated wires are thermally bonded within the enclosure using a reflow process, creating a hermetic seal around hundreds or thousands of closely spaced wires, preventing bending and ensuring a robust mechanical and chemical barrier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If glass or metal housing is used for implantable devices, then hermetic protection is provided, but the housing cannot accommodate tightly spaced wires without cracking or failing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from traditional glass or metal to a polymer material that can accommodate tightly spaced wires while maintaining hermetic protection. The polymer's flexibility and chemical properties allow it to be sealed around numerous closely spaced wires without cracking, resolving the contradiction between hermetic protection and wire integration capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tightly spaced wires are extended through traditional glass housing, then device functionality is improved, but the housing cracks or fails during manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from brittle glass to a polymer material that can accommodate tightly spaced wires without cracking. The polymer's mechanical properties allow it to be sealed around numerous closely spaced wires while maintaining housing integrity during manufacturing and operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a polymer material that combines the hermetic protection properties of traditional materials with the flexibility needed to accommodate tightly spaced wires. This composite approach resolves the contradiction between housing integrity and wire density by integrating multiple material properties into a single solution.
3Adaptability or versatility
If polymer material is used for enclosure, then wire integration is improved, but hermetic sealing capability is reduced compared to glass or metal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter to a polymer that can be thermally bonded to create hermetic seals around wires. The polymer's thermal properties allow it to be sealed at elevated temperatures, forming a hermetic barrier that maintains protection capability while accommodating tightly spaced wires.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical crimping or compression sealing method with thermal bonding to create hermetic seals. The thermal bonding process melts and fuses the polymer material around the wires, forming a hermetic seal that is more reliable than mechanical sealing methods while accommodating tightly spaced wires.
4Reliability
If thermal bonding process is used to seal polymer around wires, then hermetic seal is achieved, but processing temperature and time requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thermal bonding parameters to optimize the balance between seal quality and processing time. By controlling the temperature and time parameters of the thermal bonding process, the patent achieves hermetic seals while minimizing the bonding cycle time and energy consumption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The PCTFE enclosure provides a substantially hermetic seal, protecting sensitive electronics from environmental stress while allowing for the integration of numerous electrodes, enhancing the functionality and reliability of implantable devices like brain-machine interfaces.
Implementation Method 1
thermally bonding the piece of polymer around each wire of the plurality of insulated wires
Implementation Method 2
thermally bonding comprises applying pressure to the piece of polymer and the plurality of insulated wires in the mold and heating the piece of polymer and the plurality of insulated wires
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable device and method of manufacture include a substantially hermetic polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) enclosure with closely-spaced wires extending through a slit in the enclosure. A method for manufacturing the implantable device includes cutting a slit in a piece of polymer and extending a plurality of insulated wires through the slit. Each of the insulated wires are parallel to a neighboring wire of the insulated wires. The piece of polymer is thermally bonded around each wire of the plurality of insulated wires such that the piece of polymer is sealed around insulation of each wire with a portion of each wire extending through the piece of polymer.