There are presently several concepts to restore vision in blind or highly visually handicapped persons by implanting electronic devices into the eye in order to partially restore vision. Here, the approach to replace retinal photoreceptors by a sub-retinally implanted microphotodiode array (MPDA) is summarized. A survey is given on the present state of the development of MPDAs, the possibility of in vitro and in vivo tests as well as first results on biocompatibility and histology. Additionally, electrophysiological recordings in rabbits and rats are presented which have received such subretinal implants.
The basic principles of wafer fusion bonding including pretreatment, room temperature mating, and thermal annealing are presented. Techniques for the characterization of the bond quality are reviewed. Results for fusion bonding of other materials such as silicon nitride and polysilicon are discussed with a view to bond quality and application. Examples of fusion processes for power device fabrication show the feasibility of the technique.
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