Picosun provides biocompatible Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) thin film coating technology for medical industries.

Our coatings allow longer-lasting and safer products, as well as more compact analysis and sensing devices, and innovative medical applications such as microelectronic implants and wearable sensors for remote and digital healthcare.

What is ALD?

ALD is an advanced gas-phase coating method which is used to fabricate ultrathin, highly uniform and conformal material layers for several applications.

ALD films are dense, defect- and pinhole-free, and their thickness and composition can be precisely tailored down to atomic level. Ultrathin coatings (from a few to a few hundred nm) are practically massless and do not increase the dimensions of the coated object. ALD process can be performed at modest temperatures, so it is suitable also for sensitive materials.

Fig.1: The principle of ALD.

Fig.2: Microimplant electronics protected by Picosun’s ALD HfO₂. No changes after soaking in 87^oC PBS for over 3 months which correlates to over 10 years in human body. T0 = starting point of the test (image source CEA-Leti, France).

Fig.3: TEM micrographs of Picosun’s ALD nanolaminate and oxide encapsulants after one month soaking tests in 87^oC PBS. No corrosion observed.

Picosun’s ALD coatings have been tested and validated in ISO 10993-5 standard tests to be non-cytotoxic and thus safe to human tissues (*).

Picosun’s PicoMEDICAL^™ solutions for healthcare industries

Picosun’s PicoMEDICAL^™ thin film coating solutions are currently in production use in various medical applications.

These include functionalising the surface of drug particles for controlled drug delivery and depositing bioactive coatings on surgical implants. Picosun’s newest offering to the medical industries is an ALD-based, hermetic biobarrier encapsulant that can potentially ensure microimplant lifetime of over 10 years in human body environment (**).

Other uses of ALD in healthcare industries include ultrathin films on stents, hydrophobic / hydrophilic coatings, and functional coatings on powder materials and medical microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and sensors.

Strategic partnership in ALD

We provide industry-leading, turnkey solutions with the most sophisticated thin film coating technology of today. Cost-efficient and fast processing is realised in our large batch production ALD equipment.

Our comprehensive ALD solutions enable novel, innovative products, and add value to existing ones via improved lifetime, safety and comfort of use.

Standardised and customer-specific ALD solutions

Clients are at the centre of all Picosun operations. We have built a vast range of standardised, production-proven ALD solutions to meet our clients’ needs.

Client requirements vary at times, with no existing ALD process or equipment able to adhere to them. However, we can develop tailored, customer-specific technology optimal for your applications.

ALD consulting services

Our history dates back to the invention of ALD technology. We concentrate solely on ALD and have the widest and most profound expertise and know-how in the field.

Our central team has a PhD-level background in ALD science. We can support you with application-specific ALD process development and production improvement, as well as the integration of ALD into your existing manufacturing processes.

Comprehensive support and training programmes

We offer comprehensive after-sales support and services, customised to specific industry needs. With our Picosupport^™ agreements, we minimise the downtime of your ALD equipment and offer assistance regarding both process and technical questions.

Efficient and safe operation of equipment is a prerequisite for all professional production. Our advanced Picotraining^™ programmes are available for all your ALD system operators, maintenance personnel and production and R&D supervisors.

ALD equipment for medical applications

PICOSUN^® P-series ALD systems are the standard in high volume ALD manufacturing. With our patented technology, we can produce the highest quality ALD films with exceptional yield and the leading performance.

Our systems’ agile design with fast and easy maintenance enables minimal system downtime, as well as low cost-of-ownership.

The PICOSUN P-300B and P-1000 PicoMEDICAL^™ large-scale batch ALD systems are specifically designed to coat surgical implants (dental / orthopaedic), implantable medical devices, medical MEMS and sensors.

About Picosun

As inventors and pioneers of ALD technology for more than 40 years, we aim to take ALD to consistently new frontiers by working in close collaboration with our clients. Together, we create the production-proven, cutting-edge ALD solutions to revolutionise future industries.

PICOSUN^® product portfolio ranges from fully automated, large-scale industrial batch ALD systems to smaller-scale research and pre-pilot production tools. Our turnkey ALD solutions combine agile, compact and innovative equipment design, the leading process quality and comprehensive strategic partnership throughout your ALD journey.

Picosun is based in Finland, with subsidiaries in China, Germany, Japan, North America, Singapore and Taiwan. We also have offices in France and India, as well as a global sales and support network.

(*) FICAM – The Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, University of Tampere, Finland: Cytotoxicity tests with cell culture medium according to the ISO 10993-5 standard, and 3 weeks soaking tests in PBS (phosphate-buffered saline) at 87 ^oC. Tested materials: TiO₂,Al₂O₃, HfO₂, SiO₂, ZrO₂, Nb₂O₅, Ta₂O₅, AlN, TiN.

(**) J. Jeong et.al: Conformal Hermetic Sealing of Wireless Microelectronic Implantable Chiplets by Multilayered Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), Adv. Funct. Mater. 2018, 1806440. DOI: 10.1002 / adfm.201806440.