AU2013345707B2

AU2013345707B2 - Integrated artificial cochlear implant, and method for manufacturing same

Info

Publication number: AU2013345707B2
Application number: AU2013345707A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Hong Soo Choi; Jong Moon Jang; Sang Won Kim
Original assignee: Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology
Current assignee: Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology
Priority date: 2012-11-13
Filing date: 2013-10-08
Publication date: 2016-11-03
Anticipated expiration: 2033-10-08
Also published as: KR101393186B1; AU2013345707A1; WO2014077512A1

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention relates to an integrated artificial cochlear implant and to a method for manufacturing same. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a sound detection unit, a signal processing unit, and an electrode array unit can be integrally formed on a substrate using MEMS technology. Therefore, the integrated artificial cochlear implant according to the embodiment of the present invention can be reduced in size by forming one single chip-type module and can be manufactured in quantity by means of a batch process based on MEMS technology.

Description

1 2013345707 15 Sep 2016

INTEGRATED ARTIFICIAL COCHLEAR IMPLANT, AND METHOD FOR

MANUFACTURING SAME

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an integrated artificial cochlear implant and a 5 method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, relates to an integrated cochlear implant provided in a small size and in a large quantity to deliver a signal of a sound coming into an ear, and a method of manufacturing the same.

Background Art

In general, an ear of a human may convert an external sound to an electrical 10 signal to be delivered to an auditory part of a brain. In detail, an audio signal collected through an earflap may enter through an external auditory meatus to cause a vibration of a tympanic membrane. The vibration may be delivered through auditory ossicles including a malleus, an incus, and a stapes, to a cochlea. A hair cell of the cochlea may convert a mechanical audio sound to an electrical signal and deliver the 15 electrical signal to the auditory part of the brain. Through this procedure, the human is able to hear a sound.

When the hair cell of a cochlea is damaged, the electrical signal corresponding to the sound may not be delivered from the hair cell to the brain and thus, a hearing impairment may occur. Such a hearing impairment may not be 20 overcome by using a hearing aid for amplifying a sound pressure.

Recently, to treat the hearing impairment due to damaged hair cells, a method of implanting an artificial cochlear implant to a body is being widely performed. In the method, a hearing ability may be restored by applying an electrical stimulation directly to a normal auditory nerve remaining in the cochlea based on an audio signal. 7446712 2.doc 2 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 A method of recognizing a sound using the artificial cochlear implant may be performed as follows. Sound energy may be converted into an electrical signal using a microphone mounted externally to a body, and the electrical signal may be encoded through a speech processor. The encoded electrical signal may be wirelessly 5 delivered through a radio frequency (RF) transmission coil to a receiver/stimulator implanted into a skin of the body. The delivered electrical signal may be delivered to an auditory nerve through an electrode array inserted in a cochlea, and the sound may be recognized in the brain by stimulating the auditory nerve.

The aforementioned artificial cochlear implant may have a structure in which 10 the microphone and the speech process are disposed eternally to the body and thus, a patient to whom an artificial cochlear implantation may restrict daily activities. For example, the patient may experience difficulties in bathing and swimming, and feel aesthetically uncomfortable due to an obtrusive size. In general, the artificial cochlear implantation may be given to patients under 3 years-old. Thus, the patient 15 may be psychologically traumatized upon realization of the hearing impairment by the patient during growth. While the receiver/stimulator is implanted to a rear portion of the ear in the artificial cochlear implantation, a battery of the receiver/stimulator may need to be changed periodically. Additionally, since the receiver/stimulator is connected to an electrode inserted to the cochlea using an electric wire, a corrosion 20 and damage on the electric wire may cause an adverse effect to the body. Also, when the hearing impairment occurs only in the cochlea corresponding to an internal ear, a typical artificial cochlear implant may not utilize the external auditory meatus and the middle ear which are in a normal state due to a configuration and an operational principle thereof. 7446712 2.doc 3 2013345707 15 Sep 2016

Disclosure of Invention

An aspect of the present invention seeks to provide an integrated artificial cochlear implant integrally formed in a single chip-type structure based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology and a manufacturing method of 5 the same.

Another aspect of the present invention also seeks to provide an integrated artificial cochlear implant provided in a small size to improve use efficiency in an implantation and provided in a large quantity to reduce a unit cost, and a manufacturing method of the same. 10 Still another aspect of the present invention also seeks to provide an integrated artificial cochlear implant provided in a form to be thoroughly inserted to a body to prevent an aesthetic discomfort and an inconvenience caused in a daily life, and a manufacturing method of the same.

Yet another aspect of the present invention also seeks to provide an integrated 15 artificial cochlear implant provided based on MEMS technology and operating without need to receive separate power from an external source, and a manufacturing method of the same.

Alternatively or additionally, an aspect of the present invention seeks to at least provide the public with a useful choice. 20 According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an integrated artificial cochlear implant including a substrate having at least a portion inserted into a cochlea, a sound sensor integrally formed on a first portion of the substrate to sense a sound delivered to the cochlea and convert the sensed sound into an electrical signal, a signal processor integrally formed on a second portion of the 7446712 2.doc 4 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 substrate and connected to the sound sensor to receive the electrical signal from the sound sensor and process the received electrical signal, and an electrode array integrally formed on a third portion of the substrate and connected to the signal processor and an auditory nerve in the cochlea, to deliver the processed electrical 5 signal to the auditory nerve, wherein the sound sensor comprises a plurality of piezoelectric layers resonated by the sound delivered to the cochlea, and each of the piezoelectric layers is formed to have a different band of a frequency resonated by the sound, wherein the piezoelectric layers are provided in a beam-array structure using an aluminum nitride material based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) 10 technology.

The integrated artificial cochlear implant may be provided in an integrated form including the sound sensor, the signal processor, and the electrode array based on MEMS technology

The sound sensor, the signal processor, and the electrode array may be 15 provided in a layered form based on MEMS technology.

The first portion of the substrate may be disposed on a route for delivering the sound to the cochlea, and the third portion of the substrate may be inserted into the cochlea such that the electrode array is directly connected to the auditory nerve.

The substrate may be formed by dividing a silicon wafer into a plurality of 20 portions.

In the silicon wafer, a plurality of fractional areas divided to be the substrate may be formed, and the sound sensor, the signal processor, and the electrode array may be formed in each of the fractional areas.

In the first portion of the substrate, a thickness of a portion including the 7446712 2.doc 5 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 piezoelectric layers may be smaller than that of another portion such that the piezoelectric layers are easily resonated by the sound.

The signal processor may include a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) layer on which a CMOS circuit is formed, and the CMOS 5 circuit may be configured to process the electrical signal of the sound sensor to be a signal recognizable by the auditory nerve.

The sound sensor may be formed using an aluminum nitride material based on MEMS technology, and the CMOS layer may be provided through a batch process with the sound sensor. 10 The electrode array may be provided in a protrusion structure by protruding lengthwise from the signal processor so as to be easily inserted into the cochlea.

The third portion of the substrate is provided in an elongated shape having a smaller thickness and a smaller width when compared to the first portion and the second portion of the substrate, and may include a polymer-coated layer having 15 flexibility.

The polymer-coated layer may be formed using a parylene material based on MEMS technology.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of manufacturing an integrated artificial cochlear implant, the method 20 including forming a sound sensor including a piezoelectric layer in a first portion of a fractional area of a silicon wafer based on MEMS technology, forming a signal processor including a CMOS layer in a second portion of the fractional area based on the MEMS technology, forming an electrode array in a third portion of the fractional area based on the MEMS technology, and separating the fractional area from the 7446712 2.doc 6 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 silicon wafer and forming a substrate on which the sound sensor, the signal processor, and the electrode array are provided in an integrated form, wherein the piezoelectric layers are formed of an aluminum nitride material, wherein the forming of the sound sensor comprises forming the sound sensor using an aluminum nitride material 5 allowed to be used in a manufacturing process of the CMOS layer, and the forming of the signal processor comprises forming the signal processor through a batch processor with the sound sensor.

The silicon wafer may include a plurality of fractional areas, the forming of the sound sensor, the forming of the signal processor and the forming the electrode 10 array may be performed for each of the fractional areas, and the separating may include separating each of the fractional areas in which the sound sensor, the signal processor, and the electrode array are provided in the integrated form from the silicon wafer.

The forming of the sound sensor, the forming of the signal processor and the 15 forming the electrode array may be performed through a batch process based on the MEMS technology.

The forming of the sound sensor may include forming a first conductive layer above of the first portion in the fractional area of the silicon wafer, forming a piezoelectric layer resonated by a sound above of the first conductive layer forming a 20 second conductive layer above of the piezoelectric layer to output an electrical signal generated during a resonation of the piezoelectric layer to an external area with the first conductive layer, and removing a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric layer from a lower portion of the first portion in the fractional area and reducing a thickness of a portion including the piezoelectric layer in the silicon wafer. 7446712 2.doc 7 2013345707 15 Sep 2016

According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to integrally form an artificial cochlear implant in a single chip-type structure based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. The artificial cochlear implant may be configured as one module so as to be easily utilized, and may not 5 require a wire-bonding process for connecting a sound sensor, a signal processor, and an electrode array.

According to another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily realize miniaturization of an artificial cochlear implant and simply perform an implantation of the artificial cochlear implant. 10 According to still another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a sound sensor, a signal processor, and an electrode array through a batch process based on MEMS technology, thereby realizing a large quantity of an artificial cochlear implant and reducing a unit cost for manufacturing the artificial cochlear implant. 15 According to yet another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to form an integrated artificial cochlear implant to be thoroughly inserted to a body, thereby preventing a complexional discomfort and an inconvenience caused in a daily life.

According to further another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to dispose a sound sensor on a route of a sound delivered through an external ear and a 20 middle ear to a cochlea. Through this, the external ear and the middle ear may also be continuously utilized in a normal state after an artificial cochlear implantation and a part for effectively delivering a sound to a sound sensor may be omitted.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to manufacture an artificial cochlear implant based on MEMS technology to semi-7446712 2.doc 8 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 permanently use the artificial cochlear implant irrespective of receiving separate power from an external source.

In the description in this specification reference may be made to subject matter which is not within the scope of the appended claims. That subject matter 5 should be readily identifiable by a person skilled in the art and may assist in putting into practice the invention as defined in the presently appended claims.

Brief Description of Drawings

The present invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 10 FIG. 1 illustrates an integrated artificial cochlear implant according to an example embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a state in which the integrated artificial cochlear implant of FIG. 1 is implanted. FIG. 3 illustrates a method of manufacturing an integrated artificial cochlear 15 implant according to an example embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a manufacturing process in an operation of forming a sound sensor of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 illustrates a manufacturing process in an operation of forming a signal processor of FIG. 3. 20 FIG. 6 illustrates a manufacturing process in an operation of forming an electrode array of FIG. 3.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like 7446712 2.doc 9 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. FIG. 1 illustrates an integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 according to an example embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 illustrates a state in which the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 of FIG. 1 is implanted. Here, the 5 integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 may also referred to as, for example, an artificial cochlear implant 100. FIG. 3 illustrates a method of manufacturing the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 according to an example embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a manufacturing process in an operation of forming a sound sensor 120 of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 illustrates a manufacturing process in 10 an operation of forming a signal processor 130 of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 illustrates a manufacturing process in an operation of forming an electrode array 140 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 1, the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 may include a substrate 110, the sound sensor 120, the signal processor 130, and the electrode array 140. 15 The substrate 110 may be a panel-type member formed to have a desired shape. The substrate 110 may be formed of a silicon material to adopt microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.

In an example, the substrate 110 may be manufactured based on a silicon wafer (not shown) widely used in a semiconductor industry. For example, the silicon 20 wafer may include a plurality of fractional areas, each having an identical shape to that of the substrate 110, and a plurality of substrates including the substrate 110 may be manufactured through a division of the fractional areas. Here, each of the fractional areas of the silicon wafer may include the sound sensor 120, the signal processor 130, and the electrode array 140. 7446712 2.doc ίο 2013345707 15 Sep 2016

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the sound sensor 120 may sense a sound delivered to a cochlea 150, and change the sensed sound to an appropriate electrical signal. Thus, the sound sensor 120 may be configured to generate a different electrical signal based on a frequency of a sound. 5 For example, the sound sensor 120 may include a plurality of piezoelectric layers 122 resonated based on a frequency of the sound delivered to the cochlea 150. Frequency bands in which the piezoelectric layers 122 resonate based on the sound may be different from one another. Thus, the piezoelectric layers 122 may selectively resonate based on the frequency of the sound. Also, the frequency of the 10 sound may be identified by an electrical signal of the piezoelectric layer 122 which is selected to resonate.

The sound sensor 120 may be integrally formed above a first portion LI of the substrate 110. Here, the piezoelectric layers 122 may be provided above the first portion LI in the substrate 110 to have a layer formed based on micro processing 15 technology of the MEMS technology.

The piezoelectric layer 122 may be formed of a piezoelectric material causing a piezoelectric effect. As an example, the piezoelectric layer 122 may be formed of the piezoelectric material, for example, an aluminum nitride (AIN) material in a beam-array structure based on the MEMS technology. Concisely, the integrated artificial 20 cochlear implant 100 according to an example embodiment may change sound wave energy to electrical energy using the piezoelectric material, and may be provided in a low power structure based on the MEMS technology. Accordingly, the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 may operate without a need to receive power from an external source separately. 7446712 2.doc 11 2013345707 15 Sep 2016

In the first portion LI of the substrate 110, a thickness of a portion including the piezoelectric layers 122 may be smaller than that of another portion such that the piezoelectric layers 122 easily resonate based on the sound delivered to the cochlea 150. For example, a resonance groove 112 may be recessed at a predetermined depth 5 from a bottom of the first portion LI of the substrate 110.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the signal processor 130 may receive the electrical signal of the sound sensor 120, and process the received electrical signal to be a signal recognizable by an auditory nerve of the cochlea 150. The signal processor 130 may be located adjacent to the sound sensor 120, and connected with 10 the sound sensor 120 to deliver a signal. The signal processor 130 may be integrally formed in a second portion L2.

Here, the signal processor 130 may include a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) layer 132 provided on the second portion L2 of the substrate 110 and including a CMOS circuit formed based on the MEMS technology. The 15 CMOS layer 132 may be a portion to receive the electrical signal of the sound sensor 120 and process the received signal to be the signal recognizable by the auditory nerve of the cochlea 150.

While use of some materials of the CMOS layer 132 is disallowed in a batch process based on a manufacturing process condition, use of the aluminum nitride 20 material included in the piezoelectric layer 122 of the sound sensor 120 may be allowed in a CMOS manufacturing process. Thus, the sound sensor 120 and the signal processor 130 may be manufactured through the batch process, thereby reducing time and cost for the manufacturing.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the electrode array 140 may deliver the signal 7446712 2.doc 12 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 processed by the signal processor 130 directly to the auditory nerve of the cochlea 150. The electrode array 140 may be formed in a protrusion structure by protruding lengthwise from the signal processor 130 so as to be easily inserted into the cochlea 150. One end of the electrode array 140 may be connected with the signal processor 5 130 to deliver a signal, and another end of the electrode array 140 may be connected to the auditory nerve of the cochlea 150 through an operation.

The electrode array 140 may include an electrode layer 142 and a polymer-coated layer 144 integrally formed on a third portion L3 of the substrate 110 based on the MEMS technology. 10 Here, the electrode layer 142 may be formed of a high conductivity metal material. The electrode layer 142 may be, for example, a member to guide the electrical signal of the signal processor 130 to reach the auditory nerve of the cochlea 150.

The polymer-coated layer 144 may be formed of a polymer material having 15 flexibility, and provided in a portion not including the electrode layer 142 in the third portion L3 of the substrate 110. The third portion L3 of the substrate 110 may be provided in an elongated shape having a smaller thickness and width when compared to the first portion LI and the second portion L2 of the substrate 110. Thus, to solve an issue that the third portion L3 of the substrate 110 is broken during an implantation 20 of the artificial cochlear implant 100, the polymer-coated layer 144 may be spread on the third portion L3 of the substrate 110, thereby providing the flexibility to the third portion L3 of the substrate 110. For example, the polymer-coated layer 144 may be formed of a parylene material based on the MEMS technology.

As described above, the artificial cochlear implant 100 may be integrally 7446712 2.doc 13 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 formed in a single chip-type structure, for example, a semiconductor chip, including the sound sensor 120, the signal processor 130, the electrode array 140, and the substrate 110. To this end, the sound sensor 120, the signal processor 130, and the electrode array 140 may be provided in a layered form and disposed on the substrate 5 110 based on the micro processing technology of the MEMS technology.

Accordingly, the artificial cochlear implant 100 may be manufactured as a small size module based on the MEMS technology so as to be thoroughly inserted into an ear, and a wire-boding process for connecting the sound sensor 120, the signal processor 130, and the electrode array 140 may be omitted. Also, since the sound 10 sensor 120, the signal processor 130, and the electrode array 140 are manufactured on the substrate 110 through batch process based on a MEMS technology, a manufacturing time of the artificial cochlear implant 100 may be reduced and a large quantity may be ensured, which may reduce a unit cost of the artificial cochlear implant 100. 15 As illustrated in FIG. 2, the first portion LI of the substrate 110 may be disposed on a route through which a sound is delivered to the cochlea 150, and the third portion L3 of the substrate 110 may be disposed to be inserted into the cochlea 150. The first portion LI of the substrate 110 may include the sound sensor 120, and the third portion L3 of the substrate 110 may include the electrode array 140. 20 Thus, the sound sensor 120 may sense the sound delivered to the cochlea 150 through an external ear 154 and a middle ear 152. In contrast to a typical artificial cochlear implant, the artificial cochlear implant of the present disclosure may provided in a form of utilizing the external ear 154 and the middle ear 152 and thus, a separate receiver for receiving the sound may not be used. 7446712 2.doc 14 2013345707 15 Sep 2016

Hereinafter, a manufacturing method of the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 will be explained with reference to the following descriptions.

Referring to FIG. 3, the manufacturing method of the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 may include operation 10 of forming the sound sensor 120 5 including the piezoelectric layer 122 based on the MEMS technology to be located in the first portion LI of fractional area included in the silicon wafer, operation 20 of forming the signal processor 130 including the CMOS layer 132 based on the MEMS technology to be located in the second portion L2 of the fractional area, operation 30 of forming the electrode array 140 in the third portion L3 of the fractional area based 10 on the MEMS technology, and operation 40 of separating fractional area from the silicon wafer and forming the substrate 110 on which the sound sensor 120, the signal processor 130, and the electrode array 140 are integrally formed.

Here, operation 10 of forming the sound sensor 120, operation 20 of forming the signal processor 130, and operation 30 of forming the electrode array 140 may be 15 performed through the batch process based on the MEMS technology. As described above, the manufacturing method of the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 may adopt semiconductor micro processing technology in which a process of, for example, evaporating and etching, is repetitively performed. Thus, based on the aforementioned method, the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 may be 20 provided in a small size and a large quantity using a low cost.

Also, the silicon wafer may include a plurality of fractional areas. In this example, operation 10 of forming the sound sensor 120, operation 30 of forming the signal processor 130, and operation 30 of forming the electrode array 140 may be performed for each of the fractional areas. Thus, in operation 40 of forming the 7446712 2.doc 15 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 substrate 110, a plurality of substrates including the substrate 110 may be formed by separating, from the silicon wafer, the fractional areas, each including the sound sensor 120, the signal processor 130, and the electrode array 140 as an integrated form. For example, when a separation process of the substrates including the substrate 110 is 5 completed, a plurality of integrated artificial cochlear implants including the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 may also be provided simultaneously.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, operation 10 of forming the sound sensor 120 may include operations 10A and 10B of forming a first conductive layer 124 on the first portion LI of a fractional area in a silicon wafer S, operation 10C of forming a 10 piezoelectric layer 122 resonating based on a sound to be located on the first conductive layer 124, operation 10D of forming a second conductive layer 126 on piezoelectric layer 122 to externally output the first conductive layer 124 and an electric signal generated while the piezoelectric layer 122 is resonating, and operation 10E of removing a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric layer 122 from the first 15 portion LI of the fractional area to reduce a thickness of a portion including the piezoelectric layer 122 in the silicon wafer S.

Through this, in the sound sensor 120, the piezoelectric layer 122 may resonate based on the frequency of the sound delivered through the middle ear 152 and the external ear 154. An electrical signal generated by the piezoelectric layer 20 122 based on an amount of resonance of the piezoelectric layer 122 may be delivered through the first conductive layer 124 and the second conductive layer 126 to the signal processor 130. A silica dioxide layer may be formed on a surface of the silicon wafer S through a wet oxidation. The first conductive layer 124 may be formed of a 7446712 2.doc 16 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 molybdenum (Mo) material, the second conductive layer 126 may be formed of a gold (Au) material, and the piezoelectric layer 122 may be formed of an aluminum nitride material.

In operation 10E of reducing the thickness of the silicon wafer S, an 5 aluminum (Al) pattern layer may be formed below the first portion LI of the fractional area in the silicon wafer S, the silicon wafer S may be removed using a groove recessed from the Al pattern layer and formed to have a desired pattern, and the resonance groove 112 may be formed in a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric layer 122. 10 For increased clarity and conciseness of descriptions, a manufacturing process of the sound sensor 120 including the piezoelectric layer 122 provided in a single form is described as an example with reference to FIG. 4. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the sound sensor 120 including the plurality of piezoelectric layers 122 may be manufactured through the manufacturing process of 15 FIG. 4. Thus, the piezoelectric layers 122 of the sound sensor 120 may selectively resonate based on the frequency band of the sound to identify the frequency band of the sound.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the piezoelectric layer 122 and the CMOS layer 132 may be formed of the same material, and also formed of different materials 20 from one another.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, and 6, operation 30 of forming the electrode array 140 may include operation 30A of coating the sound sensor 120 and the signal processor 130 formed in the previous operation using a protection material 146, operation 30B of forming the electrode layer 142 having a desired pattern to be 7446712 2.doc 17 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 located on an upper side portion of the third portion L3 in the fractional area, operation 30C of spreading the polymer-coated layer 144 having flexibility on a portion not including the electrode layer 142 in the third portion L3 of the fractional area, operation 30D of removing a lower portion of the third portion L3 in the 5 fractional area to reduce a thickness of the silicon wafer S, and operation 30E of removing the protection material 146. A photoresist magnetized by an infrared light may be used as the protection material 146. The electrode layer 142 may include a pattern varying based on a design condition and a situation of the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100. The 10 polymer-coated layer 144 may be a member used to enhance the flexibility and intensity to prevent damage to the electrode array 140 to the reduced thickness of the silicon wafer S. Accordingly, an issue of the electrode array 140 breaking during a process of connecting the electrode array 140 and the auditory nerve may be prevented during an implantation of the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100. 15 In operation 30D of reducing the thickness of the silicon wafer S, an A1 pattern layer may be provided below the third portion L3 of the fractional area in the silicon wafer S and the silicon wafer S may be removed through a groove formed on the A1 pattern layer. Through this, a portion corresponding to the electrode array 140 in the silicon wafer S may have a thin thickness. Accordingly, the electrode array 20 140 may have a thin thickness so as to be easily inserted into the cochlea 150 and connected to the auditory nerve of the cochlea 150.

Subsequently, when operation 10 of forming the sound sensor 120, operation 20 of forming the signal processor 130, and operation 30 of forming the electrode array 140 are performing all of the fractional areas formed in the silicon wafer S, 7446712 2.doc 18 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 operation 40 of forming the substrate 110 may be performed. In this example, since each of the fractional areas including the sound sensor 120, the signal processor 130, and the electrode array 140 is separated from the silicon wafer S, the plurality of substrates including the substrate 110 may be acquired from the silicon wafer S, and 5 the plurality of integrated artificial cochlear implants including the integrated artificial cochlear implant 100 may also be formed simultaneously.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing 10 from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The example embodiments should be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention. 15 The term ‘comprising’ as used in this specification and claims means ‘consisting at least in part of’. When interpreting statements in this specification and claims which include the term ‘comprising’, other features besides the features prefaced by this term in each statement can also be present. Related terms such as ‘comprise’ and ‘comprised’ are to be interpreted in similar manner. 20 In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any 7446712 2.doc 19 2013345707 15 Sep 2016 jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art. 7446712 2.doc

Claims

1. An integrated artificial cochlear implant comprising: a substrate having at least a portion inserted into a cochlea; a sound sensor integrally formed on a first portion of the substrate to sense a sound delivered to the cochlea and convert the sensed sound into an electrical signal; a signal processor integrally formed on a second portion of the substrate and connected to the sound sensor to receive the electrical signal from the sound sensor and process the received electrical signal; and an electrode array integrally formed on a third portion of the substrate and connected to the signal processor and an auditory nerve in the cochlea, to deliver the processed electrical signal to the auditory nerve, wherein the sound sensor comprises a plurality of piezoelectric layers resonated by the sound delivered to the cochlea, and each of the piezoelectric layers is formed to have a different band of a frequency resonated by the sound, wherein the piezoelectric layers are provided in a beam-array structure using an aluminum nitride material based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.

2. The cochlear implant of claim 1, wherein the sound sensor, the signal processor, and the electrode array are provided in a layered form based on MEMS technology.

3. The cochlear implant of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the substrate is disposed on a route for delivering the sound to the cochlea, and the third portion of the substrate is inserted into the cochlea such that the electrode array is directly connected to the auditory nerve.

4. The cochlear implant of claim 1, wherein the substrate is formed by dividing a silicon wafer into a plurality of portions.

5. The cochlear implant of claim 4, wherein, in the silicon wafer, a plurality of fractional areas divided to be the substrate is formed, and the sound sensor, the signal processor, and the electrode array are formed in each of the fractional areas.

6. The cochlear implant of claim 1, wherein, in the first portion of the substrate, a thickness of a portion including the piezoelectric layers is smaller than that of another portion such that the piezoelectric layers are easily resonated by the sound.

7. The cochlear implant of claim 1, wherein the signal processor comprises a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) layer on which a CMOS circuit is formed, and the CMOS circuit is configured to process the electrical signal of the sound sensor to be a signal recognizable by the auditory nerve.

8. The cochlear implant of claim 7, wherein the sound sensor is formed using an aluminum nitride material based on MEMS technology, and the CMOS layer is provided through a batch process with the sound sensor.

9. The cochlear implant of claim 1, wherein the electrode array is provided in a protrusion structure by protruding lengthwise from the signal processor so as to be easily inserted into the cochlea.

10. The cochlear implant of claim 1, wherein the third portion of the substrate is provided in an elongated shape having a smaller thickness and a smaller width when compared to the first portion and the second portion of the substrate, and comprises a polymer-coated layer having flexibility.

11. The cochlear implant of claim 10, wherein the polymer-coated layer is formed using a parylene material based on MEMS technology.

12. A method of manufacturing an integrated artificial cochlear implant, the method comprising: forming a sound sensor including a piezoelectric layer in a first portion of a fractional area of a silicon wafer based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology; forming a signal processor including a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) layer in a second portion of the fractional area based on the MEMS technology; forming an electrode array in a third portion of the fractional area based on the MEMS technology; and separating the fractional area from the silicon wafer and forming a substrate on which the sound sensor, the signal processor, and the electrode array are provided in an integrated form, wherein the piezoelectric layers are formed of an aluminum nitride material, wherein the forming of the sound sensor comprises forming the sound sensor using an aluminum nitride material allowed to be used in a manufacturing process of the CMOS layer, and the forming of the signal processor comprises forming the signal processor through a batch processor with the sound sensor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the silicon wafer includes a plurality of fractional areas, wherein the forming of the sound sensor, the forming of the signal processor and the forming the electrode array are performed for each of the fractional areas, and wherein the separating comprises separating each of the fractional areas in which the sound sensor, the signal processor, and the electrode array are provided in the integrated form from the silicon wafer.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the forming of the sound sensor, the forming of the signal processor and the forming the electrode array are performed through a batch process based on the MEMS technology.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the forming of the sound sensor comprises: forming a first conductive layer above of the first portion in the fractional area of the silicon wafer; forming a piezoelectric layer resonated by a sound above of the first conductive layer; forming a second conductive layer above of the piezoelectric layer to output an electrical signal generated during a resonation of the piezoelectric layer to an external area with the first conductive layer; and removing a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric layer from a lower portion of the first portion in the fractional area, and reducing a thickness of a portion including the piezoelectric layer in the silicon wafer.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the forming of the electrode array comprises: coating the sound sensor and the signal processor formed in a previous operation using a protection material; forming an electrode layer having a desired pattern above of the third portion in the fractional area; spreading a polymer-coated layer having flexibility on a portion not including the electrode layer above of the third portion in the fractional area; removing a lower side portion of the third portion from the fractional area and reducing a thickness of the silicon wafer; and removing the protection material.