PhD Thesis Defense

The benefits of implantable pressure sensors for continuous monitoring of diseases like glaucoma or hydrocephalus has been well established, but it has been difficult to achieve accurate pressure sensing in the body for more than one month. In this thesis, a general MEMS pressure sensor packaging method called parylene-oil-encapsulation is developed and analyzed in order to make commercial barometers for use in air suitable for implantation inside the body long term. Accelerated aging bench top data is presented and a wireless implantable intraocular pressure sensor has been built towards proving the viability of the packaging method in vivo.