阅读说明：本技术 采用堞形通孔的传感器插入件 (Sensor insert employing castellated through-holes ) 是由 S·弗里克 L·金 D·拉里 于 2019-02-22 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种采用在PCB(110)中形成的堞形通孔(118)的示例传感器插入件(100)包含：平面衬底(110),其限定多个堞形通孔(118)；第一电触点(114),其形成在所述平面衬底(110)上并电耦合到第一堞形通孔(118)；第二电触点(112),其形成在所述平面衬底(110)上并电耦合到第二堞形通孔(118),所述第二堞形通孔(118)与所述第一堞形通孔(118)以电气方式隔离；以及形成在所述平面衬底(110)上的保护迹线(116),所述保护迹线(116)具有第一部分(116a),所述第一部分形成在所述平面衬底(110)的第一表面上并且将第三堞形通孔(118)电耦合到第四堞形通孔(118),所述保护迹线(116)具有第二部分(116b),所述第二部分形成在所述平面衬底(110)的第二表面上并且将所述第三堞形通孔(118)电耦合到所述第四堞形通孔(118),所述保护迹线(116)形成在所述第一电触点(114)与所述第二电触点(112)之间,以提供所述第一电触点(114)与所述第二电触点(112)之间的电隔离。(An example sensor insert (100) that employs castellated through-holes (118) formed in a PCB (110) includes: a planar substrate (110) defining a plurality of castellated through-holes (118); a first electrical contact (114) formed on the planar substrate (110) and electrically coupled to a first castellated via (118); a second electrical contact (112) formed on the planar substrate (110) and electrically coupled to a second castellated via (118), the second castellated via (118) being electrically isolated from the first castellated via (118); and a guard trace (116) formed on the planar substrate (110), the guard trace (116) having a first portion (116a) formed on the first surface of the planar substrate (110) and electrically coupling a third castellated via (118) to a fourth castellated via (118), the guard trace (116) having a second portion (116b) formed on the second surface of the planar substrate (110) and electrically coupling the third castellated via (118) to the fourth castellated via (118), the guard trace (116) being formed between the first electrical contact (114) and the second electrical contact (112) to provide electrical isolation between the first electrical contact (114) and the second electrical contact (112).)

1. A sensor insert, comprising:

a planar substrate defining a plurality of castellated through holes;

a first electrical contact formed on the planar substrate and electrically coupled to the first castellated via;

a second electrical contact formed on the planar substrate and electrically coupled to a second castellated via, the second castellated via being electrically isolated from the first castellated via; and

a guard trace formed on the planar substrate, the guard trace electrically coupled between a third via and a fourth via formed on the planar substrate, the guard trace isolating the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

2. The sensor insert of claim 1, wherein the guard trace comprises

A first portion formed on the first surface of the interposer substrate and electrically coupling the third castellated through-hole to the fourth castellated through-hole, an

A second portion formed on the second surface of the interposer substrate and electrically coupling the third castellated via to the fourth castellated via,

a guard trace formed between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact to provide electrical isolation between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

3. The sensor interposer of claim 1, wherein the planar substrate defines an opening between the first and second electrical contacts, and wherein the third castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the planar substrate and the fourth castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the opening, and wherein the guard trace is a first guard trace and the sensor interposer further comprises:

a second guard trace formed on the planar substrate, the second guard trace having a first portion formed on the first surface of the planar substrate and electrically coupling a fifth castellated via to a sixth castellated via, the second guard trace having a second portion formed on the second surface of the planar substrate and electrically coupling the fifth castellated via to the sixth castellated via, the second guard trace formed between the first and second electrical contacts to provide electrical isolation between the first and second electrical contacts, and

wherein the fifth castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the planar substrate and the sixth castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the opening.

4. The sensor insert of claim 1, further comprising a sensor wire electrically coupled to the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

5. The sensor insert of claim 4, wherein the sensor wire comprises a first wire and a second wire, the second wire formed coaxially around the first wire, a first portion of the first wire extending beyond the second wire at a first end of the sensor wire,

wherein the first portion of the first wire is electrically coupled to the first electrical contact and the second wire is coupled to the second electrical contact.

6. A method of forming a sensor insert, comprising:

providing a planar substrate;

forming a plurality of vias in the planar substrate;

cutting a portion of the planar substrate to produce an interposer substrate, the cutting comprising cutting through at least four of the through-holes to produce at least four castellated through-holes;

forming a first electrical contact on the interposer substrate and electrically coupling the first electrical contact to a first castellated via;

forming a second electrical contact on the interposer substrate and electrically coupling the second electrical contact to a second castellated through-hole, the second castellated through-hole being electrically isolated from the first castellated through-hole; and

forming a guard trace on the interposer substrate, the guard trace electrically coupled between a third via and a fourth via formed on the planar substrate, the guard trace isolating the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the guard trace comprises:

a first portion formed on the first surface of the interposer substrate and electrically coupling the third castellated through-hole to the fourth castellated through-hole, an

A second portion formed on the second surface of the interposer substrate and electrically coupling the third castellated via to the fourth castellated via,

a guard trace formed between the first and second electrical contacts to provide electrical isolation between the first and second electrical contacts.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

defining an opening in the interposer substrate between the first and second electrical contacts, and wherein the third castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the planar substrate and the fourth castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the opening, and wherein the guard trace is a first guard trace; and

forming a second guard trace on the interposer substrate, the second guard trace having a first portion formed on the first surface of the interposer substrate and electrically coupling a fifth castellated via to a sixth castellated via, the second guard trace having a second portion formed on the second surface of the interposer substrate and electrically coupling the fifth castellated via to the sixth castellated via, the second guard trace formed between the first and second electrical contacts to provide electrical isolation between the first and second electrical contacts,

wherein the fifth castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the planar substrate and the sixth castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the opening.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising electrically coupling a sensor wire to the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensor wire comprises a first wire and a second wire, the second wire formed coaxially around the first wire, a first portion of the first wire extending beyond the second wire at a first end of the sensor wire,

wherein electrically coupling the sensor line comprises:

electrically coupling the first portion of the first wire to the first electrical contact, an

Electrically coupling the second wire to the second electrical contact.

11. A wearable biosensor, comprising:

a sensor insert, comprising:

a planar substrate;

a first electrical contact formed on the planar substrate and electrically coupled to a first castellated via formed in the planar substrate;

a second electrical contact formed on the planar substrate and electrically coupled to a second castellated via formed in the planar substrate, the second castellated via being electrically isolated from the first castellated via; and

a guard trace formed on the planar substrate, the guard trace electrically coupled between a third via and a fourth via, the third via and other vias formed on the planar substrate, the guard trace isolating the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact;

a sensor wire physically coupled to the planar substrate, the sensor wire comprising at least two electrodes, a first electrode of the at least two electrodes being electrically coupled to the first electrical contact, and

a second electrode of the at least two electrodes is electrically coupled to the second electrical contact; and

a sensor chemistry disposed on a distal end of the sensor wire;

a printed circuit board ("PCB") having a plurality of electrical contacts defined on a first surface of the PCB; and

wherein the sensor insert is physically coupled to the first surface of the PCB, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth castellated through holes are electrically and physically coupled to respective first, second, third, and fourth electrical contacts of the plurality of electrical contacts defined on the first surface of the PCB.

12. The wearable biosensor of claim 12, further comprising a controller in communication with the sensor wire, the controller receiving a sensor signal from the sensor wire and determining an analyte concentration based on the sensor signal.

13. The wearable biosensor of claim 12, wherein the guard trace comprises:

a first portion formed on the first surface of the interposer substrate and electrically coupling the third castellated through-hole to the fourth castellated through-hole, an

A second portion formed on the second surface of the interposer substrate and electrically coupling the third castellated via to the fourth castellated via,

a guard trace formed between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact to provide electrical isolation between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

14. The wearable biosensor of claim 12, wherein the planar substrate defines an opening between the first and second electrical contacts, and wherein the third castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the planar substrate and the fourth castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the opening, and wherein the guard trace is a first guard trace, and the wearable biosensor further comprises:

a second guard trace formed on the planar substrate, the second guard trace having a first portion formed on the first surface of the planar substrate and electrically coupling a fifth castellated via to a sixth castellated via, the second guard trace having a second portion formed on the second surface of the planar substrate and electrically coupling the fifth castellated via to the sixth castellated via, the second guard trace formed between the first and second electrical contacts to provide electrical isolation between the first and second electrical contacts, and

wherein the fifth castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the planar substrate and the sixth castellated through-hole is formed in a perimeter of the opening.

15. The wearable biosensor of claim 14, wherein the PCB defines surface features configured to engage with the opening defined in the sensor insert planar substrate, the surface features enabling alignment between the PCB and the sensor insert.

16. The wearable biosensor of claim 12, wherein the sensor chemical comprises glucose oxidase.

17. The wearable biosensor of claim 12, wherein the sensor chemistry comprises a chemistry configured to react with one or more of glucose, lactate, or cholesterol.

18. The wearable biosensor of claim 12, wherein the sensor wire comprises a first wire and a second wire, the second wire formed coaxially around the first wire, a first portion of the first wire extending beyond the second wire at a first end of the sensor wire,

wherein the first portion of the first wire is electrically coupled to the first electrical contact and the second wire is electrically coupled to the second electrical contact.

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to wearable biosensors, and more particularly to sensor inserts that employ castellated through-holes.

Background

Existing wearable biosensors, such as continuous blood glucose monitors, integrate an analyte sensor into a wearable device as a complete modular component, such that the device can be applied to the human body and a sensor wire deployed into the human body simultaneously in a single action. Thus, during manufacture or assembly of the device, the sensor wires must be electrically and mechanically assembled to the device prior to deployment.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more specific examples and, together with the description of the examples, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the specific examples.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an example sensor insert that employs castellated through-holes formed in a printed circuit board ("PCB");

FIGS. 3A through 3B illustrate an example sensor insert that employs castellated through holes formed in a PCB;

FIG. 4 shows an example sensor insert employing castellated through holes formed in a PCB;

5A-5C illustrate an example wearable biosensor device that includes a sensor insert that employs castellated through-holes formed in a PCB; and

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method of manufacturing a sensor insert that employs castellated through holes formed in a PCB.

Detailed Description

Examples are described herein in the context of a sensor insert employing castellated through-holes. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following description is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Reference will now be made in detail to implementations of the examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference indicators will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or like items.

In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of the implementations described herein are shown and described. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with application-and business-related constraints, and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one developer to another.

Some wearable biosensors employ one or more invasive sensor wires that are inserted into the skin of the wearer. The sensor wire typically contains at least two discrete electrodes and has an amount of chemical, such as glucose oxidase ("GOX"), deposited on the end of the sensor wire that is inserted into the skin of the wearer. The chemical then reacts with the analyte present in the wearer's interstitial fluid, generating an electrical current that can be sensed by the electronics of the biosensor. However, because the amount of current generated can be very small, e.g., on the order of tens of nanoamps (nanoamps), and because these chemicals can be sensitive to heat, the design and fabrication of biosensors can be difficult. For example, biosensors must be designed to prevent leakage currents that may interfere with the current generated by the reaction between the chemical substance and the analyte. In addition, manufacturing processes that include high temperature steps such as welding can damage the chemicals if they are heated.

To address these issues and address other challenges, an example wearable biosensor may employ a main PCB with electronics such as a microcontroller or wireless transceiver, a battery, and so forth. In addition, the example apparatus employs a secondary PCB assembly to mechanically secure the sensor wires (commonly referred to as an "interposer"), while also providing electrical contacts for the different electrodes present on the sensor wires. The interposer may then be electrically and physically coupled to the main PCB, such as by soldering. To help reduce the amount of heat transferred to the insert during soldering, the example insert employs castellated through holes to provide an electrical connection between the primary PCB and the insert, and to provide a soldering location that is relatively thermally isolated from the sensor wires themselves.

In this example, the insert has a through hole formed around the perimeter of the insert footprint. The interposer is then cut from the larger piece of PCB so that the through-hole is cut, exposing the interior of the through-hole. The exposed inner portions of the through-holes may be aligned with and soldered to corresponding electrical contacts on the main PCB. Because the solder joints are located within the through holes and substantially on the other side of the PCB than the electronics on the interposer PCB, the heat transferred from the soldering process to the interposer electronics containing the sensor wires is greatly reduced. In addition, the use of vias enables one or more guard rings to be formed to surround the interposer and provide electrical isolation between different electrical contacts formed on the interposer, such as electrical contacts for different electrodes formed within the sensor wires.

This illustrative example is given to introduce the reader to the general subject matter discussed herein, and the disclosure is not limited to this example. The following sections describe various additional non-limiting examples, as well as examples of systems and methods relating to sensor inserts that employ castellated through holes formed in a PCB.

Referring now to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 shows an example sensor insert 100 that employs castellated through-holes. In this example, the sensor insert includes a planar substrate, in this example a PCB. Any suitable PCB material may be used including FR4, polyimide, etc. Two electrical contacts 112, 114 are formed on the upper surface of the PCB. Each electrical contact 112, 114 is sized and shaped so that the sensor wire 120 can be electrically and physically coupled thereto, such as by a clip, adhesive, or any other suitable physical coupling technique. In this example, the sensor wire is formed from two electrodes formed coaxially, and prior to use, a sensor chemical (e.g. glucose oxidase) may be deposited on the distal end of the sensor wire, i.e. the end of the sensor wire that is to be inserted into the skin of the wearer. The proximal end of the sensor wire exposes each electrode to enable each electrode to be electrically and physically coupled to a different one of the electrical contacts 112, 114. In this example, the working electrode ("WE") is coupled to electrical contact 114, while the counter electrode ("CE") is coupled to electrical contact 112. In addition, each electrical contact 112, 114 is electrically coupled to a castellated through-hole formed on the peripheral edge of the PCB material. Once the interposer 100 is physically and electrically coupled to the primary PCB, the castellated through holes 118 provide an electrical connection between the electrical contacts 112, 114 and the sensor electronics placed on the primary PCB. Although in this example, the interposer 100 has two electrical contacts 112, 114, some examples may employ multiple sensor wires, which may require additional electrical contacts based on the type of sensor wire employed. Further, in some examples, the sensor line may include more than two electrodes. For example, a plurality of electrodes may be formed on top of each other in successive planar layers. Each layer may be coupled to a different electrical contact formed on the planar substrate. In addition, different electrodes may be applied with different sensor chemistries. Suitable sensor chemistries include those for sensing acetylcholine, amylase, bilirubin, cholesterol, chorionic gonadotropin, creatine kinase (e.g., CK-MB), creatine, DNA, fructosamine, glucose, glutamine, growth hormones, ketones, lactate, peroxide, prostate specific antigen, prothrombin, RNA, thyroid stimulating hormone, or troponin.

In this example, the planar substrate 110 (or interposer substrate) also defines an opening 124 between the two electrical contacts. The opening provides physical separation between the two electrical contacts 112, 114, thereby providing some electrical isolation therebetween. In addition, the openings enable the formation of guard traces 116a-b that do not intersect or contact the sensor lines 120. In some examples, the openings may be formed to have a shape corresponding to one or more features formed on the main PCB to achieve alignment. However, it should be understood that such openings are not required in all instances and may be omitted based on design considerations.

In addition to the electrical contacts 112, 114, two guard traces 116a-b are formed on the interposer PCB. Each guard trace 116a-b surrounds a portion of the interposer PCB to provide electrical isolation between the two electrical contacts 112, 114. In this example, each guard ring includes a portion formed on the upper surface of the interposer PCB 110 that electrically couples two corresponding castellated through holes. Each guard ring 116a-b also includes a portion formed on the lower surface of the interposer PCB 110 that is also coupled to the same corresponding castellated through-hole to provide a closed loop of material that surrounds a portion of the interposer PCB. In combination with the openings, the two guard rings 116a-b electrically isolate the two electrical contacts 112, 114 from each other. In some examples, one or both of the guard rings 116a-b can be coupled to a ground plane to help dissipate leakage current.

In this example, the interposer 100 also includes a sensor wire 120 coupled to the two electrical contacts 112, 114. In this example, the sensor wire 120 has two wires arranged coaxially, one of which serves as a working electrode and the other serves as a reference or counter electrode. To enable two different coaxial portions of the sensor wire to be coupled to different electrical contacts, the inner wire extends beyond the end of the outer wire, but a portion of the end of the outer wire is covered by polyurethane insulation 122. In this example, the inner wire is physically and electrically coupled to one electrical contact 114, while the outer wire is physically and electrically coupled to the other electrical contact 112.

In this example, the sensor wires are (1) platinum or platinum-plated wires, which are internal wires, and (2) silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) material, which are external wires. One end of the sensor wire 120 and a portion of the Ag/AgCl material are inserted into the patient's skin, while the other end of the sensor wire 120 is attached to an electrical contact. The Ag/AgCl material is coupled to the first electrical contact 112 and the platinum material is coupled to the second electrical contact 114.

Referring now to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 illustrates another example sensor insert 200 that employs castellated through-holes. In this example, the interposer 200 is formed from a planar substrate, which is a PCB 210. Similar to the example shown in FIG. 1, the interposer 200 has two electrical contacts 230a-b formed thereon. Sensor wires 250 are physically and electrically coupled to electrical contacts 230 a-b. In particular, the sensor wire has two coaxial electrodes 252a-b that are physically and electrically coupled to respective electrical contacts 230 a-b. Each electrical contact 230a-b is electrically coupled to a corresponding castellated via 220b, 220c by an electrical trace formed on PCB 210. The castellated vias may then be physically and electrically coupled to electrical contacts on another PCB to allow electrical signals from sensor lines 250 to be transferred to the other PCB.

The interposer 200 also includes guard traces 240 formed on the PCB 210. A guard trace 240 traverses the PCB 210 between the two castellated vias 220a, 220d and between the two electrical contacts 230a-b, thereby electrically isolating the two electrical contacts from each other. In this example, guard traces 240 are formed on both the upper surface of the PCB (as shown in fig. 2) and on the lower surface opposite the upper surface, with another electrical trace formed between the castellated vias 220a, 220 d. However, in some examples, guard traces 240 may be formed only on the same surface as electrical contacts 230 a-b. In this example, unlike the example shown in fig. 1, the PCB does not define a central opening. Thus, guard traces 240 must extend below sensor line 250 without contacting sensor line 250, which may disturb the electrical signals provided by sensor line 250 to electrical contacts 230 a-b.

Referring now to fig. 3A through 3B, fig. 4A illustrates an example sensor insert 300 that employs castellated through-holes formed in a PCB. In this example, the interposer 300 has a PCB 310 planar substrate defining a central opening 322. In addition, four castellated through holes are formed on the periphery of the PCB 310, while two castellated through holes are formed on the periphery of the central opening 322.

Two electrical contacts 312, 314 are formed on the upper surface of the PCB and are each electrically coupled to a corresponding castellated through-hole formed on the perimeter of the central opening 322. The electrical contacts 312, 314 are arranged to physically and electrically couple to the sensor wire 220.

In addition to the electrical contacts 312, 314, two "wrap around" guard traces 316a-b are formed on the PCB 310. Each guard trace 316a-b surrounds a portion of PCB 310 to provide electrical isolation between the two electrical contacts 312, 314. In this example, each guard trace 316a-b includes a portion formed on the upper surface of the PCB 310 that electrically couples two corresponding castellated vias. Each guard trace 316a-b also includes a portion formed on the lower surface of PCB 310 that is also coupled to the same corresponding castellated via to provide a closed loop of material that surrounds a portion of PCB 310. In combination with the openings, the two guard traces 316a-b electrically isolate the two electrical contacts 312, 314 from each other. In some examples, one or both of the guard traces 316a-b may be coupled to a ground plane to help dissipate leakage current.

Fig. 3B shows the lower surface of the PCB 310. The view shown in fig. 4B also shows wrap-around guard traces 316a-B, which wrap-around guard traces 316a-B are electrically coupled by guard trace 316c, which guard trace 316c couples two castellated vias formed in the perimeter of the opening. In some examples, guard trace 316c is not included, so the two wrap-around guard traces 316a-b are electrically isolated from each other on PCB 310, but in some examples they may be coupled to a common ground plane, such as a common ground plane formed on the main PCB of the biosensor.

Referring now to fig. 4, fig. 4 illustrates an example sensor insert 400 that employs castellated through-holes formed in a PCB. Such an example sensor insert 400 may be integrated into a wearable biosensor, such as a continuous blood glucose monitor ("CGM"). An example CGM may include a main PCB containing various electronic components including a processor, discrete electronic components, and a wireless transceiver. The battery can be mounted on and electrically coupled with the main PCB of the CGM to power the electronic components of the CGM.

The example sensor insert 400 can be physically and electrically coupled to the main PCB such that a signal from the sensor wire of the CGM can be physically and electrically coupled to the sensor insert 400 to be provided to an electronic component, such as a processor, on the main PCB.

In this example, the sensor insert 400 includes two electrical contacts 412, 414 formed on one side of the insert 400, the electrical contacts 412, 414 being physically separated by an opening 422 defined in the perimeter of the insert 400. Each electrical contact 412, 414 is electrically coupled to a castellated via. Additionally, a guard trace 416 is formed on the same surface of the PCB 410 as the two electrical contacts 412, 414 and provides electrical isolation between the two electrical contacts 412, 414.

In addition to the electrical contacts and the guard traces 416, the interposer 400 also contains additional electrical features. In this example, an electrical tracker designed as an antenna 430 is formed on the PCB 410 and electrically coupled to the castellated through-holes to enable the main PCB to be electrically and physically coupled to the CGM. In some examples, other electrical features may also be provided on the PCB, including additional electrical contacts that physically and electrically couple one or more additional sensor wires.

In some examples, the insert 400 can be formed separately from the main PCB and the sensor wires can be physically and electrically coupled to the insert 400 prior to physically and electrically coupling the insert 400 to the main PCB of the CGM; however, as will be discussed with respect to fig. 6, other orders may also be employed.

Referring now to fig. 5A through 5C, fig. 5A illustrates an example wearable biosensor device 500 that includes a sensor insert 520 that employs castellated through-holes. In this example, the wearable biosensor device 500 includes a main PCB510 on which the sensor insert 520 and the sensor controller 540 are placed. This example apparatus 500 includes the example sensor insert shown in FIG. 3; however, any suitable sensor insert that employs castellated through holes may be used.

In this example, the main PCB510 also defines surface features 512, such as pins, that engage openings defined in the sensor insert 520. Fig. 5B shows a main PCB510 having surface features 512 defined thereon. The surface features 512 provide alignment features to enable the sensor insert 520 to be aligned with the main PCB510 and one or more electrical contacts formed on the main PCB 510. Fig. 5C illustrates a top view of the primary PCB510 having surface features 512 formed and placed in engagement with the sensor insert 520. In addition, the main PCB510 has four electrical contacts 514a-d formed to engage the castellated through-holes 522a-d of the sensor insert.

Referring now to fig. 6, fig. 6 illustrates an example method 600 for fabricating a sensor insert that employs castellated through holes formed in a PCB. The example method 600 will be described with respect to the example sensor insert 100 shown in FIG. 1; however, any suitable example sensor insert according to the present disclosure may be manufactured using example methods according to the present disclosure.

At block 610, a suitable planar substrate 110 is provided. In this example, planar substrate 110 is a PCB formed of a suitable material such as FR4 or polyimide. In this example, the planar substrate 110 is larger in size than the designed sensor insert 100. Accordingly, in a subsequent step, the planar substrate 110 may be cut to the design size of the sensor interposer 100.

At block 620, one or more through holes 118 are formed in the planar substrate 110, for example, at locations corresponding to the designed perimeter of the sensor insert 100. Such a through-hole 118 may be formed to have a generally circular (or other) cross-section, with a portion of the perimeter of the through-hole extending beyond the designed perimeter of the sensor insert 100. In some examples, one or more through holes 118 may also be formed in the interior of the sensor insert 100. Such through-holes 118 may be formed around the designed perimeter of the opening to be defined in the sensor insert 100. For example, referring again to fig. 1, when a central opening is formed in PCB 110, two through holes are formed in PCB 110 and cut to form castellated through holes. According to various examples, any suitable number of vias may be formed. In this example, four through holes are formed on the design perimeter of the sensor insert, while two additional through holes are formed on the design perimeter of the central opening of the sensor insert 100.

At block 630, the planar substrate 110 is cut along the design perimeter of the sensor interposer 100, including cutting through holes to form castellated through holes 118. In this example, the planar substrate 110 is further cut to form a central opening 124 and castellated through holes in the periphery of the central opening 124.

At block 640, two electrical contacts 112, 114 are formed on the PCB 110 within the design perimeter of the sensor insert 100. In this example, the electrical contacts 112, 114 are formed such that the sensor wires 120 can be physically and electrically coupled and are formed on opposite sides of the design center opening 124. In this example, both electrical contacts 112, 114 are formed on the same surface of PCB 110; however, in some examples, they may be formed on opposite sides of PCB 100. For example, if each electrode of the sensor wires is formed as a discrete wire, they may be coupled to opposite sides of PCB 110. And although in this example, two electrical contacts are formed, in some examples, more than two electrical contacts may be formed. For example, if multiple sensor wires are to be attached to the sensor insert, a pair of electrical contacts may be formed for each sensor wire or each sensor electrode.

In addition to forming the electrical contacts at block 640, electrical traces from each electrical contact 112, 114 are also formed to electrically couple the respective electrical contact 112, 114 to the respective castellated via. In some examples, when the interposer is subsequently soldered onto the primary PCB, the electrical traces can meander to extend their length, thereby reducing heat transfer from the castellated through-holes to the electrical contacts.

At block 650, one or more guard traces 116a-b are formed on the PCB 110. In this example, electrical traces are formed to couple the castellated vias to one another to electrically isolate the electrical contacts. For example, referring to fig. 3A, electrical traces are formed between castellated through-holes formed in the perimeter of the central opening 322 and corresponding castellated through-holes formed in the perimeter of the PCB 310. Such traces are formed on both the upper and lower surfaces of PCB 310 to create guard traces that surround PCB 210. Additionally, in this example, guard trace 316c is formed between castellated vias formed in the perimeter of the central opening 322 to couple the two wraparound guard traces 316 a-b; however, guard trace 316c is optional and may be omitted in some instances.

At block 660, the sensor line 120 is coupled to the electrical contacts 112, 114. As discussed above, the sensor wire 120 may be a coaxial sensor wire 120 having two different wires, with the inner wire extending beyond the outer wire at one end of the sensor wire 120. A portion of the exposed inner wire may be physically and electrically coupled to one of the electrical contacts 114, such as by soldering or using a clamp or other electrical coupling. A portion of the external wire may be coupled to the other electrical contact 112 using any suitable electrical coupling means.

At block 670, a suitable sensor chemistry, such as glucose oxidase, is deposited on the end of the sensor wire 120 distal from the sensor insert 100.

At block 680, the sensor insert 100 is coupled to the main PCB of the biosensor. In this example, sensor insert 100 is soldered to the primary PCB using each of the castellated through-holes formed in the perimeter of the sensor insert. In some examples, castellated through holes formed in the perimeter of the central opening may be instead or additionally welded.

Although the steps of method 600 above are described in a particular order, it should be understood that different orders may be used according to different examples. For example, block 630 may be performed after block 650, or block 650 may be performed before block 640 or block 630.

The foregoing description of certain examples has been presented for purposes of illustration and description only and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and adaptations of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Reference herein to an example or implementation means that a particular feature, structure, operation, or other characteristic described in connection with the example can be included in at least one implementation of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the specific examples or embodiments described herein. The appearances of the phrases "in one example," "in an example," "in one embodiment," or "in an embodiment," or variations thereof, in various places in the specification are not necessarily referring to the same example or embodiment. Any particular feature, structure, operation, or other characteristic described in this specification in connection with one example or implementation may be combined with other features, structures, operations, or other characteristics described in connection with any other example or implementation.

The word "or" as used herein is intended to encompass both inclusive and exclusive "or" conditions. In other words, a or B or C comprise any or all of the following alternative combinations as appropriate for the particular use: only A; only B; only C; only A and B; only A and C; only B and C; and A, B and C.