Advances in Medical Device Design

Описание: Advances in semiconductor assembly and fabrication are enabling a new generation of smaller, more capable medical devices. By integrating onboard chips, rigid and flexible substrates, 3D stacked components, and precision optical elements, designers can dramatically reduce device size while increasing functionality. These designs often require micron-level placement accuracy, hermetic sealing, and full compatibility with sterilization processes.

A recent @PromexIndustries project demonstrates how these technologies are transforming endoscope design. Traditional endoscopes rely on long optical chains—lenses, mirrors, and image conduits—to transmit images to an external camera or eyepiece, resulting in bulky devices and potential image degradation. In this case, the customer sought to replace that approach with a miniature, high-definition stereoscopic camera placed directly at the tip of the endoscope.

Achieving this required a robust, biocompatible assembly capable of withstanding mechanical stress and repeated sterilization. Promex leveraged cGMP microelectronic manufacturing, Clean Room 100 facilities, and advanced 3D assembly techniques to develop a stacked optoelectronic solution. The final design incorporated die attach film, precision flip-chip assembly, and wire bonding to create a compact, high-performance camera module.

The result is a fully hermetic, autoclave-sterilizable, 3D stacked camera assembly just 8 millimeters in diameter—roughly the size of a pencil eraser—delivering full-color, high-definition stereoscopic imaging. Promex successfully supported the program from prototype through pilot builds and into full-scale production, providing an end-to-end, onshore manufacturing solution from its Silicon Valley facility.