Title :
A curvature-controlled 3D micro-electrode array for cochlear implants
Author :
Wu, Jian ; Yan, Le ; Xu, Han ; Tang, William C. ; Zeng, Fan-Gang
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng. & Comput. Sci., California Univ., Irvine, CA, USA
Abstract :
This paper reports the design, simulation, fabrication and operation results of a novel curvature-controlled 3D micro-electrode array for cochlear implants. The main body of the device is fabricated using standard thin-film processes, after which a conducting polymer layer is applied to the back. An electric field is used to control the electrode curvature, facilitating its surgical insertion while minimizing mechanical trauma to the scala tympani of the cochlea. In addition, the curved electrode hugs the modiolus, reducing the distance between the electrodes and the target neurons to improve stimulation tonotopic specificity and to lower stimulation threshold.
Keywords :
artificial organs; biomedical electrodes; conducting polymers; ear; microelectrodes; 3D microelectrode array; cochlear implants; conducting polymer layer; electric field; scala tympani; stimulation threshold; stimulation tonotopic specificity; surgical insertion; thin-film process; Aerospace engineering; Biological materials; Biomedical engineering; Cochlear implants; Electrodes; Frequency; Humans; Neurons; Polymer films; Surgery;
Conference_Titel :
Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, 2005. Digest of Technical Papers. TRANSDUCERS '05. The 13th International Conference on
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-8994-8
DOI :
10.1109/SENSOR.2005.1497402