Microsensor techniques for cardiovascular systems

Progress in semiconductor technology has been very fast in the last few years. One important fabrication process is the CMOS (Complementary metal oxide semiconductor) process. This technology has been developed for the fabrication of electronic circuits, but is now also used for the fabrication of microsensors and microsystems by adding some compatible process steps. This contribution reports upon some examples for the application of CMOS-compatible physical microsensors with on-chip integrated read-out electronics in a cardiovascular ambient. Especially monolithically integrated pressure sensors and flow sensors for blood pressure and blood flow measurement are presented, representing the state-of-the-art techniques of CMOS-compatible surface micromachining and bulk micromachining