Release and mounting of partially flexible devices inside and around tubes for smart invasive medical applications

There is a strong trend to add microsensors and actuators at the tip of minimally invasive medical instruments such as catheters and guidewires. Simultaneous measurement of both dynamic blood flow and pressure in small coronary arteries would be of great value for cardiologists in the assessment of certain types of Coronary Artery Diseases (CAD). This paper reports on the successful dicing, handling and mounting of partially flexible demonstrators inside and around tubes of diameter ranging from 600 μm to 850 μm. The presented approach gives new prospects for the fabrication and the packaging of smart miniature sensors that have to be mounted on or in catheters or guidewires.