Preparation method of multi-channel artificial cochlea electrode

Abstract

The invention discloses a preparation method of a multichannel artificial cochlea electrode. A preparation method of a multi-channel artificial cochlea electrode comprises the following steps: step 1, processing a film electrode, and attaching a first insulating base layer; depositing a primary metal layer, and etching the primary metal layer to form a first layer of conductive pattern; attaching a second insulating base layer, wherein the second insulating base layer covers the first conductive pattern layer; d, removing the second insulating base layer to shield the first end electrode contact and the second end electrode contact; depositing a secondary metal layer on the upper layer of the second insulating base layer, and etching the secondary metal layer to form a second conductive pattern layer; attaching a third insulating base layer, wherein the third insulating base layer covers the second conductive pattern layer; removing the third insulating base layer to shield the first end electrode contact area and the second end electrode contact area of all the formed conductive patterns; and 2, packaging the film electrode in the silica gel shell, wherein an electrode contact on the film electrode is exposed out of the silica gel shell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of cochlear implants, and in particular to a method for preparing a cochlear implant electrode. Background Art

[0002] The electrodes of traditional cochlear implants are fixed by hand welding the platinum electrodes and wires, and then using silicone injection molding. Therefore, the number of existing electrode contacts is about 28 at most, and it is impossible to increase the number of electrode contacts without increasing the size of the electrode. At the same time, traditional electrode processing mostly relies on manual operation, which is difficult to control quality and has a low degree of automation, resulting in a significant increase in cost and time.

[0003] A Chinese patent with publication number CN114073816A discloses an electrode array and a body implantable device including the electrode array. The electrode formation in the patent requires multiple folding steps, and the processing is relatively complicated. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode to solve at least one of the above technical problems.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

[0006] Step 1: Processing thin film electrodes. The steps for processing thin film electrodes are as follows:

[0007] Step a, attaching a first insulating base layer on the substrate layer;

[0008] Step b, depositing a primary metal layer on the first insulating base layer, and etching the primary metal layer to form a first layer of conductive pattern, wherein the first layer of conductive pattern includes a first terminal electrode contact, a conductive channel, and a second terminal electrode contact connected in sequence;

[0009] Step c, attaching a second insulating base layer, wherein the second insulating base layer covers the first conductive pattern layer;

[0010] Step d, removing the second insulating base layer covering the first terminal electrode contact and the second terminal electrode contact area;

[0011] Step e, depositing a secondary metal layer on the second insulating base layer, and etching the secondary metal layer to form a second conductive pattern, wherein the second conductive pattern comprises a first terminal electrode contact, a conductive path, and a second terminal electrode contact connected in sequence;

[0012] Step f, attaching a third insulating base layer, wherein the third insulating base layer covers the second conductive pattern layer;

[0013] Step g, removing the first end electrode contact and the second end electrode contact area of ​​all the conductive patterns that have been formed by the third insulating base layer;

[0014] Repeat step e, step f, and step g to sequentially attach a new insulating base layer and a conductive pattern upward to expose all first-end electrode contacts and second-end electrode contacts;

[0015] Step 2: encapsulate the thin film electrode in a silicone shell, and the electrode contacts on the thin film electrode are exposed outside the silicone shell.

[0016] Further preferably, step e, step f, and step g are repeated once to form a new conductive pattern;

[0017] The process of forming the n-th layer of conductive pattern is to deposit n metal layers, n≥2, and etch the n metal layers to form the n-th layer of conductive pattern, wherein the n-th layer of conductive pattern includes a first terminal electrode contact, a conductive path, and a second terminal electrode contact connected in sequence;

[0018] Step f, attaching an n+1th insulating base layer, wherein the n+1th insulating base layer covers the nth conductive pattern layer;

[0019] Step g: removing the n+1 insulating base layer that covers the first end electrode contact and the second end electrode contact areas of all the formed conductive patterns.

[0020] Further preferably, the thickness of the n-th metal layer is 1-5 um, preferably 2 um, which ensures a certain conductivity without increasing the overall thickness of the thin film electrode.

[0021] Further preferably, the thickness of the n+1th insulating base layer is 1-3 um, mainly to isolate adjacent electrodes and adjacent conductive paths.

[0022] Further preferably, when the number of electrodes is 72, the thickness of all metal layers is 2 um, and the thickness of all insulating base layers is 2 um, which is conducive to controlling the total thickness of the entire electrode area to 288 um.

[0023] Further preferably, in step a, the selected material of the insulating base layer is polyimide, polydimethylsiloxane, thermoplastic polyurethane or implant-grade silicone.

[0024] Further preferably, the outline of the substrate includes a strip structure and a sheet structure arranged up and down;

[0025] The first end electrode contacts of all the conductive patterns are arranged along the length direction of the strip structure;

[0026] The second end electrode contacts of all the conductive patterns are arranged along the outer contour of the sheet structure.

[0027] Further preferably, the conductive path of the first layer of conductive pattern is a straight line segment;

[0028] The conductive path of the second layer conductive pattern is a stepped folded line segment, which includes a first straight line, a second straight line and a third straight line connected in sequence; the first straight line segment is arranged in parallel along the strip structure.

[0029] Further preferably, the silicone shell includes a strip-shaped silicone portion and a sheet-shaped silicone portion disposed up and down;

[0030] The first end electrode contacts of all the conductive patterns are arranged along the length direction of the strip-shaped silicone portion;

[0031] The second end electrode contacts of all the conductive patterns are arranged along the outer contour of the sheet-like silicone portion.

[0032] Further preferably, the end of the strip-shaped silicone portion away from the sheet-shaped silicone portion is an outwardly convex arc structure.

[0033] Further preferably, one side of the silicone shell is an exposed area of ​​the metal contact, and the exposed area of ​​the silicone shell is a planar structure;

[0034] The strip-shaped silicone portion is located at the back of the exposed area and is an arc-shaped convex structure.

[0035] Easy to insert implantably.

[0036] Beneficial effects: It is convenient to process electrodes and realizes the forming of multiple mutually isolated electrode patterns. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cochlear implant electrode of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cochlear implant electrode of the present invention from another viewing angle;

[0039] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cochlear implant electrode of the present invention from another viewing angle;

[0040] Figure 4 It is the process part of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram after step b of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram after step e of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 7 It is a partial end view of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0045] See also Figures 1 to 7 , Specific embodiment 1: A method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode, comprising the following steps:

[0046] Step 1: Processing thin film electrodes. The steps for processing thin film electrodes are as follows:

[0047] Step a, attaching a first insulating base layer 12 on the substrate layer 11;

[0048] Step b, depositing a primary metal layer 13 on the first insulating base layer 12, etching the primary metal layer 13 to form a first layer conductive pattern 13a, the first layer conductive pattern comprising a first terminal electrode contact, a conductive channel and a second terminal electrode contact connected in sequence; see Figure 5 ;

[0049] Step c, attaching a second insulating base layer 14, wherein the second insulating base layer 14 covers the first conductive pattern 13;

[0050] Step d, removing the second insulating base layer 14 covering the first terminal electrode contact and the second terminal electrode contact area;

[0051] Step e: depositing a secondary metal layer 15 on the second insulating base layer 14, etching the secondary metal layer 15 to form a second conductive pattern 15a, wherein the second conductive pattern 15a includes a first terminal electrode contact, a conductive path and a second terminal electrode contact connected in sequence. Figure 6 The second layer of conductive pattern also includes a first terminal electrode contact and a second terminal electrode contact region of the first layer of conductive pattern.

[0052] Step f, attaching a third insulating base layer, wherein the third insulating base layer covers the second conductive pattern layer;

[0053] Step g, removing the first end electrode contact and the second end electrode contact area of ​​all the conductive patterns that have been formed by the third insulating base layer;

[0054] Repeat step e, step f, and step g to sequentially attach a new insulating base layer and a conductive pattern upward to expose all first-end electrode contacts and second-end electrode contacts;

[0055] Step 2: encapsulate the thin film electrode in a silicone shell, and the electrode contacts on the thin film electrode are exposed outside the silicone shell.

[0056] Repeat step e, step f, and step g once to form a new conductive pattern;

[0057] The process of forming the n-th layer of conductive pattern is to deposit n metal layers, n≥2, and etch the n metal layers to form the n-th layer of conductive pattern, wherein the n-th layer of conductive pattern includes a first terminal electrode contact, a conductive path, and a second terminal electrode contact connected in sequence;

[0058] Step f, attaching the n+1th insulating base layer, wherein the n+1th insulating base layer covers the nth conductive pattern layer;

[0059] Step g: removing the n+1 insulating base layer that covers the first end electrode contact and the second end electrode contact areas of all the formed conductive patterns.

[0060] The thickness of the n-th metal layer is 1-5um, preferably 2um. It ensures a certain conductivity without increasing the overall thickness of the thin film electrode. The thickness of the n+1th insulating base layer is 1-3um. It is mainly to isolate adjacent electrodes and adjacent conductive paths. When the number of electrodes is 72, the thickness of all metal layers is 2um, and the thickness of all insulating base layers is 2um. It is beneficial to control the total thickness of the entire electrode area to 288um. Each metal layer forms an electrode. The number of electrodes refers to the number of metal layers.

[0061] The n-th layer of conductive pattern includes all the first end electrode contacts and second segment electrode contacts that have been formed, and all the first end electrode contacts and second end electrode contacts are flush with each other. By etching the n-th layer of conductive pattern, all the first end electrode contacts and second end electrode contacts that have been formed before the n-th layer of conductive pattern are independently exposed. Figure 7 , all first-end electrode contacts are arranged vertically from left to right, and the top end surfaces are flush.

[0062] The selected material of the n+1th insulating base layer is polyimide, polydimethylsiloxane, thermoplastic polyurethane or implant-grade silicone.

[0063] In step a, the selected material of the insulating base layer is polyimide, polydimethylsiloxane, thermoplastic polyurethane or implant-grade silicone.

[0064] The outline of the substrate includes a strip structure and a sheet structure arranged up and down; the first end electrode contacts of all conductive patterns are arranged along the length direction of the strip structure; and the second end electrode contacts of all conductive patterns are arranged along the outer outline of the sheet structure.

[0065] The conductive path of the first layer conductive pattern 13a is a straight line segment; the conductive path of the second layer conductive pattern 15a is a stepped folded line segment, which includes a first straight line, a second straight line and a third straight line connected in sequence; the first straight line segment is arranged in parallel along the strip structure.

[0066] The silicone shell includes a strip silicone part 21 and a sheet silicone part 22 arranged up and down; the first end electrode contacts 21a of all conductive patterns are arranged along the length direction of the strip silicone part 21; the second end electrode contacts 22a of all conductive patterns are arranged along the outer contour of the sheet silicone part 22. The end of the strip silicone part away from the sheet silicone part is a convex arc structure. One side of the silicone shell is an exposed area of ​​the metal contact, and the exposed area of ​​the silicone shell is a plane structure; the back of the strip silicone part located in the exposed area is an arc-shaped convex structure. It is convenient for implantable insertion. The second end electrode contact 22a is connected to the chip through a feedthrough, and the stimulation signal of the chip reaches the first end electrode contact 21a in this way to stimulate the tympanic membrane cells of the cochlea.

[0067] The first end electrode contact of the first conductive pattern is located away from the sheet-like silicone portion. The first end electrode contact of the conductive pattern located higher up is closer to the sheet-like silicone portion.

[0068] The second end electrode contact points are formed in the order of starting from the center side away from the strip silicone end and then forming alternately on the left and right sides, and the final forming point is located near the center side of the strip silicone end. All the second end electrode contact points form a rectangle.

[0069] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present invention. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode, characterized in that: The steps include: Step 1: Processing thin film electrodes. The steps for processing thin film electrodes are as follows: Step a, attaching a first insulating base layer on the substrate layer; Step b, depositing a primary metal layer on the first insulating base layer, and etching the primary metal layer to form a first conductive pattern layer, wherein the first conductive pattern layer includes a first terminal electrode contact, a conductive path, and a second terminal electrode contact that are sequentially connected; Step c, attaching a second insulating base layer, wherein the second insulating base layer covers the first conductive pattern layer; Step d, removing the second insulating base layer covering the first terminal electrode contact and the second terminal electrode contact area; Step e, depositing a secondary metal layer on the second insulating base layer, and etching the secondary metal layer to form a second conductive pattern, wherein the second conductive pattern comprises a first terminal electrode contact, a conductive path, and a second terminal electrode contact connected in sequence; Step f, attaching a third insulating base layer, wherein the third insulating base layer covers the second conductive pattern layer; Step g, removing the first end electrode contact and the second end electrode contact area of ​​all the conductive patterns that have been formed by the third insulating base layer; Repeat step e, step f, and step g to sequentially attach a new insulating base layer and a conductive pattern upward to expose all first-end electrode contacts and second-end electrode contacts; Step 2: encapsulate the thin film electrode in a silicone shell, and the electrode contacts on the thin film electrode are exposed outside the silicone shell.

2. The method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that: Repeat step e, step f, and step g once to form a new conductive pattern; The process of forming the n-th layer of conductive pattern is to deposit n metal layers, n≥2, and etch the n metal layers to form the n-th layer of conductive pattern, wherein the n-th layer of conductive pattern includes a first terminal electrode contact, a conductive path, and a second terminal electrode contact connected in sequence; Step f, attaching an n+1th insulating base layer, wherein the n+1th insulating base layer covers the nth conductive pattern layer; Step g: removing the n+1 insulating base layer that covers the first end electrode contact and the second end electrode contact areas of all the formed conductive patterns.

3. The method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode according to claim 2, characterized in that: The thickness of the n-th metal layer is 1-5um.

4. The method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode according to claim 2, characterized in that: The thickness of the n+1th insulating base layer is 1-3 um.

5. The method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the number of electrodes is 72, the thickness of all metal layers is 2 um, and the thickness of all insulating base layers is 2 um.

6. The method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step a, the insulating base layer is made of polyimide, polydimethylsiloxane, thermoplastic polyurethane or implant-grade silicone.

7. The method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outline of the substrate includes a strip structure and a sheet structure arranged up and down; The first end electrode contacts of all the conductive patterns are arranged along the length direction of the strip structure; The second end electrode contacts of all the conductive patterns are arranged along the outer contour of the sheet structure.

8. The method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode according to claim 7, characterized in that: The conductive paths of the first layer of conductive pattern are straight line segments; The conductive path of the second layer conductive pattern is a stepped folded line segment, which includes a first straight line, a second straight line and a third straight line connected in sequence; the first straight line segment is arranged in parallel along the strip structure.

9. The method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that: The silicone shell includes a strip-shaped silicone part and a sheet-shaped silicone part arranged up and down; The first end electrode contacts of all the conductive patterns are arranged along the length direction of the strip-shaped silicone portion; The second end electrode contacts of all the conductive patterns are arranged along the outer contour of the sheet-like silicone portion.

10. The method for preparing a multi-channel cochlear implant electrode according to claim 9, characterized in that: The end of the strip-shaped silicone portion away from the sheet-shaped silicone portion is an outwardly convex arc structure; One side of the silicone shell is an exposed area of ​​the metal contact, and the exposed area of ​​the silicone shell is a planar structure; The strip-shaped silicone portion is located at the back of the exposed area and is an arc-shaped convex structure.

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