Selection of our books indexed in the Book Citation Index in Web of Science™ Core Collection (bkci)

1.2. Sensor package and specifications
Packaging of certain biomedical sensor is an important consideration during the design,
fabrication, and use of the device. Obviously, the biomedical sensor has to be safe, soft, and
reliable for biomedical sensors often touch the body skin or inner organs of patients. In the
development of implantable biosensor, an additional key issue is to consider the biocompati‐
bility of sensor and operational lifetime in body. When a biomedical sensor is implanted into
the body, it inevitably contacts with body fluids. Then body will affect the function of bio‐
medical sensor, or sensor will affect the site that it is implanted. For example, protein absorp‐
tion and cellular deposition can alter the permeability of sensor packaging that is designed to
both protect sensor and allow free chemical diffusion of certain analytics between body fluids
and the biosensor. Unsuitable packaging of implantable biomedical sensor could lead to drift
and a gradual loss of sensor sensitivity and stability overtime. Furthermore, inflammation of
tissue, infection, or clotting in a vascular site could produce some harmful or adverse effects
on biomedical sensor. Hence, the material used in the construction of sensor’s outer body must
be biocompatible because they play a crucial pole in determining an overall performance and
longevity of implantable biomedical sensor. One convenient method is to utilize various
polymer covering material and barrier layers to prevent the toxic sensor components from
coming into body. It’s very important that packaging material of biomedical sensor must
prevent the chemical diffusion of harmful ingredient between biomedical sensor and outer
body.
Accurate medical diagnostic procedures require the stringent specifications on the design and
use of biomedical sensor. Depending on the intended applications, the performance specifi‐
cations of biomedical sensor may be evaluated to ensure that the measurement meets the
design specifications.
Advances in Bioengineering
178

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In order to understand sensor’s performance characteristics, it is very important to learn some
of the common terminology associated with sensor specifications. The following definitions
are commonly used to describe sensor characteristics and select sensor for particular applica‐
tions.