Medical electronics push the boundaries of semiconductor design. From implanted hearing aids to wearable health monitors and sensor patches, these devices require robust, low-power, and high-reliability circuitry.
Because failure is often not an option, medical ICs demand specialty I/O and custom ESD protection beyond what standard foundry libraries can offer. Devices are often placed in non-traditional, high-risk environments, where replacement is difficult or impossible, and power must be carefully conserved.
Sofics provides silicon-proven ESD and I/O IP ensuring patient safety, product longevity, and regulatory compliance.
Custom Requirements in Medical IC Design
Designers building ICs for medical use — whether wearable or implantable — face unique technical challenges:
- Devices used in or on the human body
Exposure to unpredictable environments increases the risk of ESD/EOS events. - Non-replaceable hardware
Failures are unacceptable in implants or long-life health monitoring devices. - Low power consumption for long-term use
Battery life must be extended across years — often without recharging. - Wireless communication
Interfaces like Bluetooth or NFC need low-capacitance ESD clamps to protect without degrading signal integrity. - Support for higher voltage domains
Sensor or actuator interfaces may require protection above standard I/O voltages.
Sofics IP for Medical Applications
Key Focus Areas
- Wireless interfaces
Proven ESD protection for Bluetooth, NFC, and inductive interfaces: low leakage and low capacitance - Ultra-low leakage for battery-powered systems
Up to 100x lower leakage compared to conventional IP: critical for devices running on a single coin battery or inductive power - Support for high-voltage domains
IP supporting 5V+ operation for sensor interfaces, battery connections, and actuators - High robustness for unpredictable conditions
Easily scaled to meet high HBM or IEC 61000-4-2 standards for sensitive environments
Process technology covered
Mature CMOS (0.5um to 180nm)
Mainstream CMOS (130nm to 65nm)
Advanced CMOS (40nm to 22nm)
SOI technology
BCD technology
Foundries covered
Medical IC Products Using Sofics IP
Our customers have successfully deployed Sofics IP in life-critical and health-monitoring devices:
- Implanted and wearable hearing aids
Ultra-low leakage and compact ESD clamps for analog/digital wireless interfaces
(5 customers) - Multi-sensor wearable devices
Custom protection for real-time patient monitoring with multiple data channels and communication links - Sensor patch applications
Low-power, wireless-enabled systems used for continuous diagnostics and health telemetry - Endoscopy camera
Small area ESD solutions and die-2-die interface protection
Testimonial: AMI Semiconductor – Now On-Semi
- DSP-based systems for hearing, audio solutions
- Award winning hearing aid product
- Quick solution delivery
Michel De Mey, Sr Director of Hearing and Audio Solutions
“Sofics provides specialized ESD design solutions within a very short turnaround time, and has truly demonstrated first-time-right delivery capabilities.”
Testimonial: Toshiba Semiconductor
- Hundreds of ASIC designs
- 180nm to 40nm CMOS technology
- All kinds of applications
Kenji Numata, Sr Manager, System LSI Design
“Using Sofics solutions we significantly lower our technical and business risks and expenses.
Sofics IP is our standard choice solution for ESD protection.”
These are examples from many IP delivery projects. If you did not find the example you were looking for you should contact us (info@sofics.com) to discuss your application and requirements.
Further reading
- Blog article “Challenges for IC design in medical applications”
- Press release about our cooperation with AMIS
- Short video “3 key challenges in medical IC design“