Development of BION™ technology for functional electrical stimulation: hermetic packaging

BIONs™ are chronically implanted, individually addressable, single channel electrical stimulators that are now in clinical trials. They receive power and command signals from an externally worn RF transmission coil. The electronic circuitry is packaged in a glass capsule that can be injected through a hypodermic needle to provide distributed multichannel FES systems. The small size (2 mm OD × 16 mm long), external electrodes and long design life (>10 years) pose a challenge for hermetic sealing and testing. We here describe several novel packaging techniques that have been integrated into a single workstation to enable efficient and reliable production of BION implants.