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.
Our team has been innovating in the manufacture of active implants for over two decades and this project is part of our vision to develop manufacturing methods for miniaturised implants. Interconnection, the way various components of an electronics circuit are connected together, is one of the final barriers to the miniaturisation of active implantable devices. Polymer encapsulation is signalling a move away from rigid cavities for implanted electronics, and reliable, high-density, interconnection methods must be developed for this new approach to electronics protection.
The PhD candidate will learn the core principles of reliability for medical electronics, they will conceive a complete study protocol, and design interconnection test samples to be manufactured in our dedicated implant manufacture facility (MAISI), for long-term immersion studies.