White Paper

Device fabrication for life sciences & biomedical applications: Barrier and biocompatible coatings

Author

Dr Ravi Sundaram
Head of Strategic R&D Markets, Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology

Biomedical devices require a wide range of thin film coatings which serve as layers for surface protection and passivation; rendering the device biocompatible. Depending on the device architecture, barrier layers are almost always required which protect the device from failures that can be broadly classified as follows:

• Component failure: Relevant for both in-vitro and in-vivo applications this type of failure occurs due to effects such as electrical shorts or response drifts due to penetration of analytes or liquid environment. Here, layers that protect the device from moisture and liquids by acting as barrier layers.
• Biocompatibility failure: Critical during in-vivo applications, this type of failure could occur due to effects such as biofouling where cellular matter adsorbs on the active surface thereby impeding analyte diffusion at the biosensor surface, ultimately leading to a decrease in sensor response.