The evolution of relative humidity and corrosion inside active implants

Active implants, such as pacemakers and cochlear implants, can change a person's life.

The development of new technologies for more complex implants brings hopes of new treatment for many chronic conditions.

To ensure long implanted lifetimes (years to decades), the implanted electronics must not come into direct contact with the body fluids, as that would lead to corrosion. Using hermetic implant packages ensures that the electronics operates in a dry environment. The theory that describes the evolution of relative humidity inside a near-hermetic package is well established.

However, as we create increasingly miniaturized implants, experimental data suggests we are reaching the limits of the assumptions that underlie the theory, and new models are needed for the next generations of active implants.

The PhD candidate will design instrumented implants packages, manufactured in our dedicated implant manufacture facility (MAISI), for long-term immersion studies.

The data analysis will further our understanding of the evolution of relative humidity and corrosion in micro-implants, leading to a new theoretical model to predict the lifetime of the next generation of active implants, giving confidence in the long-term safety of the next generation of devices.