NOVELTY - A method for improving useful life of at least one thin film battery (10) containing a solid electrolyte (22) and an anode (24) that expands on charging, involves providing a hermetic barrier package (30) for the thin film battery including an anode expansion absorbing structure, and providing a thin film getter (35) disposed on an interior surface of the hermetic barrier package.    USE - For improving useful life of thin film battery useful in the field of microelectronics as active or standby power for microelectronics devices and circuits. The active power device includes implantable medical devices, remote sensors, semiconductor diagnostic wafers, automobile tire sensors, miniature transmitters, active radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, smart cards, and MEMS devices. The standby power source applications of thin-film batteries include non-volatile complementary metal oxide semiconductor-static random memory access (CMOS-SRAM) memory products such as memory chips for computers, sensors, and passive RFID tags.    ADVANTAGE - The method provides improved hermetic seals for thin film batteries having anodes that greatly expand on charging. The getters including thin film and/or thick film minimize the undesirable effects of any oxygen and/or water vapor that remains trapped inside the substantially sealed hermetic barrier package. The method provides high performance thin-film batteries having improved life; and rechargeable thin film batteries that have a life approaching at least five years or longer. The hermetic seals for thin film batteries enable use of such long life batteries in new applications. The method reduces the undesirable effects of oxygen and/or water or water vapor that becomes trapped within a sealed thin film package encapsulating a battery. The method provides batteries that are able to withstand hydrostatic pressures above atmospheric pressure. The thin film getter reduces the undesirable effects of the residual oxygen by effectively redirecting some of the residual oxygen to react with the thin film getter. The thin film getter can also be used to decrease the undesirable effects of residual water or water vapor in the hermetic package. The thin film battery package comprising a thin film getter is capable of withstanding a temperature of 265degreesC during reflow assembly of the battery to an electronic component.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - A method for improving useful life of at least one thin film battery (10) containing a solid electrolyte (22) and an anode (24) that expands on charging, involves providing a hermetic barrier package (30) for the thin film battery including an anode expansion absorbing structure, and providing a thin film getter (35) disposed on an interior surface of the hermetic barrier package. The method further involves providing a thick film getter disposed on the interior surface of chamber; and encapsulating thin film batteries using a low melting glass composition on a wafer using a single lid plate, thereby forming thin film battery packages; dicing the thin film battery packages to separate the thin film battery packages and to expose functional features of the separated thin film battery packages. The thick film getter is deposited on the interior surface of the chamber by a syringe, or by screen printing. The encapsulating step is conducted using a technique selected from heating the low melting glass composition in an oven, heating the low melting glass composition on a hot plate, heating the low melting glass composition using a laser beam, and heating the low melting glass composition by exposing the at least one thin film battery to a radiant heat source. The thick film getter comprises at least one active metal particles dispersed in at least one curable organic binder. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following:    (1) a thin film battery package comprising a solid electrolyte, an anode that expands upon charging, and a hermetic barrier package including an anode expansion absorbing structure and a thin film getter disposed on an interior surface of the hermetic barrier package;    (2) a semiconductor diagnostic wafer comprising the thin film battery package;    (3) a tubeless tire having sidewalls comprising a tire sensor containing the thin film battery package laminated into the sidewalls of the tire;    (4) a wireless sensor comprising the thin film battery package; and    (5) making thin film battery package involving attaching thin film battery components to a liquid crystal polymer substrate, encapsulating the thin film battery components including film getter with a liquid crystal polymer lid, and sealing the thin film battery components within the liquid crystal polymer substrate and liquid crystal polymer lid.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows a cross-sectional view of the thin film battery package including thin film getter.    thin film battery (10)    solid electrolyte (22)    anode (24)    hermetic barrier package (30)    thin film getter. (35)