Patent ID: 8915121

Claim:
An encapsulated device, comprising a base substrate, an electronic component arranged on the base substrate and enclosed within an encapsulation that protects the electronic component from moisture, oxygen, or moisture and oxygen, and at least one gas permeation sensor arranged on the base substrate and enclosed within the encapsulation, said gas permeation sensor being capable of measuring the permeation of gas into the encapsulation and having at least one physical or physico-chemical property that is at least substantially the same as the electronic component, wherein the at least one physical or physico-chemical property is selected from the group consisting of dimension of an accessible surface of the at least one sensor, surface area-to-volume ratio and reactivity with moisture, oxygen or moisture and oxygen, wherein each of said at least one gas permeation sensor comprises: an electrically conductive sensing element that is made of a moisture, oxygen, or moisture and oxygen sensitive material, wherein chemical reaction of said material with moisture, oxygen, or moisture and oxygen results in an increase in the electrical resistance of the sensing element, an electrical connector, a signal evaluation unit, said signal evaluation unit being coupled to the sensor to measure a property associated with the electrical resistance of the sensor, the electrical connector capable of connecting the sensing element to the signal evaluation unit and a feedback controller, wherein said feedback controller is coupled to the signal evaluation unit to receive feedback therefrom to control the electrical power supplied to the electronic component and wherein the feedback controller increases the electrical power supplied to the electronic component as the extent of gas permeation into the encapsulation increases.