Vacuum coating tool for neural electrode

Abstract

A neural electrode vacuum coating tool comprises a main substrate, an insert, a flexible gasket, an upper magnet and a lower magnet. The main substrate is provided with an upper magnet placing groove, a lower magnet placing groove, a lead groove, an insert groove and a vapor deposition groove; the vapor deposition tank penetrates through the main substrate; the lead groove is formed in one side of the vapor deposition groove and does not penetrate through the main substrate; the upper magnet placing groove, the insert groove and the lower magnet are sequentially arranged from top to bottom and are arranged on the other side of the vapor deposition groove; the upper magnet containing groove, the insert groove and the lower magnet containing groove jointly penetrate through the main base plate. The insert is provided with a non-through electrode column accommodating groove; the flexible gasket is positioned above the insert; the insert and the flexible gasket are jointly positioned in the insert groove; the upper magnet is positioned in the upper magnet placing groove; the lower magnet is positioned in the lower magnet placing groove; the main substrate, the insert, the flexible gasket, the upper magnet and the lower magnet can be separated from one another; the electrode column array can be sealed and protected during vacuum coating of the neural electrode, and meanwhile, the electrode column array is easy to machine, low in cost and wide in application range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of biomedical microfabrication, specifically relating to a vacuum coating fixture for neural electrodes. Background Technology

[0002] Since its introduction in 1989, the Utah electrode (UEA) has become the preferred device for multi-channel, high-density acquisition of signals from a large number of neurons. Based on the Utah electrode (UEA), neural electrode technology has been continuously enriched and developed by researchers, resulting in various technical categories such as silicon-based electrode arrays, glass-based electrode arrays, and metal-based electrode arrays. In in vivo encapsulation applications, an inert metal lead bond is often used at one end of the electrode to act as a lead for transmitting nerve stimulation signals between the device and the human body. In engineering practice, the insulation protection of the lead bond connector is usually achieved using vacuum phase deposition (CVD). However, ensuring the insulation of the inert metal lead bond connector and the tight wrapping protection of the exposed electrode are technical challenges. Existing coating equipment often has complex sealing fixtures, high processing costs, and poor versatility. This invention proposes a vacuum coating fixture for neural electrodes. A strong magnetic force is applied to the neural electrode fixture by two closely spaced magnets to achieve a tight fit, thereby ensuring that the insulating material tightly wraps the metal connector at the molecular level during vacuum phase deposition and preventing the deposition of insulating vapor at the electrode current release end. Utility Model Content

[0003] This invention aims to provide a vacuum coating fixture for neural electrodes, which can protect and seal the exposed neural electrodes when coating the bonding connector of rigid neural electrode leads. It is also simple to process and has wide applicability.

[0004] To achieve the above technical objectives, the solution adopted by this utility model is as follows:

[0005] A vacuum deposition fixture for neural electrodes includes a main substrate, an insert, a flexible pad, an upper magnet, and a lower magnet. The main substrate has an upper magnet placement slot, a lower magnet placement slot, a lead wire slot, an insert slot, and a vapor deposition tank. The vapor deposition tank penetrates the main substrate. The lead wire slot is located on one side of the vapor deposition tank and does not penetrate the main substrate. The upper magnet placement slot, the insert slot, and the lower magnet are arranged sequentially from top to bottom, and are all located on the other side of the vapor deposition tank. The upper magnet placement slot, the insert slot, and the lower magnet placement slot all penetrate the main substrate. The insert has a non-penetrating electrode post receiving slot. The flexible pad is located above the insert. The insert and the flexible pad are both located in the insert slot. The upper magnet is located in the upper magnet placement slot. The lower magnet is located in the lower magnet placement slot. The main substrate, the insert, the flexible pad, the upper magnet, and the lower magnet are separable from each other.

[0006] During coating, the neural electrode to be coated is placed in the upper magnet placement slot, and the lead wire to be soldered to it is placed in the lead wire slot. The lead wire solder joint is connected to the vapor deposition tank to facilitate the full deposition of vapor on the lead wire solder joint. The upper magnet is located above the neural electrode, the insert is located below the neural electrode, and the lower magnet is located below the insert. A flexible gasket is placed between the insert and the neural electrode, and the electrode post of the neural electrode is located in the electrode post receiving slot, achieving buffering of the neural electrode and sealing of the electrode post. The attraction generated between the upper and lower magnets attracts the two magnets themselves, the neural electrode, the flexible gasket, and the insert together.

[0007] Preferably, the height of the upper magnet is greater than the depth of the upper magnet placement groove; and the height of the lower magnet is greater than the depth of the lower magnet placement groove. This facilitates the removal of the upper and lower magnets after the coating process is complete.

[0008] Preferably, the electrode post receiving groove can project to cover the electrode post array to be coated; the flexible gasket is annular, and the inner side of the ring can project to cover the electrode post array to be coated. This facilitates sealing and protecting the electrode post array during coating.

[0009] Preferably, the flexible gasket material is silicone rubber.

[0010] Preferably, the flexible gasket material is polyimide.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this invention are: a vacuum coating fixture for neural electrodes can effectively achieve sealed protection of the electrode column array during vacuum coating of neural electrodes. At the same time, the fixture itself is simple to manufacture, low in cost, and has a wide range of applications. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;

[0013] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the main substrate of this utility model;

[0014] Figure 3 This is a top view of the main substrate of this utility model;

[0015] Figure 4 This is a bottom view of the main substrate of this utility model;

[0016] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the insert of this utility model;

[0017] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the flexible gasket of this utility model;

[0018] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a neural electrode corresponding to this utility model.

[0019] In the figure, 1-main substrate, 101-lead groove, 102-vapor deposition tank, 103-insertion groove, 104-upper magnet placement groove, 105-lower magnet placement groove, 2-insertion, 201-electrode post storage groove, 3-flexible pad, 4-upper magnet, 5-lower magnet, 6-electrode post, 7-neural electrode lead, 8-lead solder joint. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0021] Example 1, combined with Figure 1-7 A vacuum deposition fixture for neural electrodes includes a main substrate 1, an insert 2, a flexible pad 3, an upper magnet 4, and a lower magnet 5. The main substrate 1 is provided with an upper magnet placement groove 104, a lower magnet placement groove 105, a lead wire groove 101, an insert groove 103, and a vapor deposition tank 102. The vapor deposition tank 102 penetrates the main substrate 1. The lead wire groove 102 is located on one side of the vapor deposition tank and does not penetrate the main substrate. The upper magnet placement groove 104, the insert groove 103, and the lower magnet 105 are arranged sequentially from top to bottom in the vapor deposition tank. On the other side of 102; the upper magnet placement groove 104, the insert groove 103, and the lower magnet placement groove 105 all penetrate the main substrate 1; the insert 2 is provided with a non-through electrode post receiving groove 201; the flexible pad 3 is located above the insert 2; the insert 2 and the flexible pad 3 are both located in the insert groove 103; the upper magnet 4 is located in the upper magnet placement groove 104; the lower magnet 5 is located in the lower magnet placement groove 105; the main substrate 1, the insert 2, the flexible pad 3, the upper magnet 4, and the lower magnet 5 can be separated from each other.

[0022] During coating, the neural electrode to be coated is placed in the upper magnet placement groove 104, and the lead wire 8 to be welded to it is placed in the lead wire groove 101. The lead wire solder joint 8 is connected to the vapor deposition tank 102 to facilitate the full deposition of vapor on the lead wire solder joint 8. The upper magnet 4 is located above the neural electrode, the insert 2 is located below the neural electrode, and the lower magnet 5 is located below the insert 2. A flexible gasket 3 is placed between the insert 2 and the neural electrode, and the electrode post 6 of the neural electrode is located in the electrode post receiving groove 201, which buffers the neural electrode and seals the electrode post 6. The attraction generated between the upper magnet 4 and the lower magnet 5 attracts the two magnets themselves, the neural electrode, the flexible gasket 3, and the insert 2 together.

[0023] After coating, the upper magnet 4 and lower magnet 5 are positioned above their respective magnet slots for easy removal. The nerve electrode, insert 2, and flexible pad 3 can be pushed out from bottom to top through the vapor deposition tank 102, insert slot 103, and lower magnet placement slot 105, avoiding the inconvenience of removing the nerve electrode and other components due to adhesion of the deposited material. The main substrate 1, insert 2, flexible pad 3, upper magnet 4, and lower magnet 5 can be separated for easy cleaning after processing. Furthermore, the separate design of each component and the through-hole design of most slots in this invention greatly reduce processing difficulty and cost.

[0024] Example 2, combined with Figure 5-7 A vacuum coating fixture for neural electrodes is disclosed. The electrode post receiving groove 201 can project to cover the array of neural electrode posts 6 to be coated. The flexible pad 3 is annular, and its inner side can project to cover the array of neural electrode posts 6 to be coated. While protecting the electrode posts 6 from vapor deposition, when different neural electrodes need coating, only the size of the electrode post receiving groove 201 and the inner size of the flexible pad 3 need to be designed separately, without modifying the entire neural electrode vacuum coating fixture, greatly improving the applicability of this invention. The remaining settings are the same as in Embodiment 1.

Claims

1. A vacuum plating tool for a neural electrode, characterized by, The system includes a main substrate, an insert, a flexible pad, an upper magnet, and a lower magnet. The main substrate has an upper magnet placement slot, a lower magnet placement slot, a lead wire slot, an insert slot, and a vapor deposition tank. The vapor deposition tank penetrates the main substrate. The lead wire slot is located on one side of the vapor deposition tank and does not penetrate the main substrate. The upper magnet placement slot, the insert slot, and the lower magnet are arranged sequentially from top to bottom, and are all located on the other side of the vapor deposition tank. The upper magnet placement slot, the insert slot, and the lower magnet placement slot all penetrate the main substrate. The insert has a non-penetrating electrode post receiving slot. The flexible pad is located above the insert. The insert and the flexible pad are both located in the insert slot. The upper magnet is located in the upper magnet placement slot. The lower magnet is located in the lower magnet placement slot. The main substrate, insert, flexible pad, upper magnet, and lower magnet are separable from each other.

2. The vacuum coating tool for a neural electrode according to claim 1, wherein The height of the upper magnet is greater than the depth of the upper magnet placement slot; the height of the lower magnet is greater than the depth of the lower magnet placement slot.

3. The vacuum coating tool for a neural electrode according to claim 2, wherein The electrode post receiving groove can project to cover the electrode post array to be coated; the flexible pad is annular, and the inner side of the ring can project to cover the electrode post array to be coated.

4. The vacuum coating tool for a neural electrode according to claim 3, wherein The flexible gasket material is silicone rubber.

5. The vacuum coating tool for a neural electrode according to claim 4, wherein The flexible gasket material is polyimide.

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