KR101158775B1 - Nerval element using nano-wire and cuff - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a neural device utilizing nanowires and cuffs, which can be smaller in size than conventional cuffs, has a nanowire-based probe on the inner wall, and selectively selects specific nerve bundles to stimulate a signal. The present invention provides a neural device capable of transmitting and receiving an electrical signal or an electrical stimulus even when a nerve is broken by a plurality of processing modules electrically connected to each other.

Description

Nerval element using nano-wire and cuff}

The present invention relates to a neural device that can be smaller in size than a conventional cuff, has a nanowire-based probe on the inner wall, and can selectively select a specific nerve bundle to stimulate or detect a signal. In particular, the present invention relates to a neural device capable of transmitting and receiving an electrical signal or an electrical stimulus with each other, even though a plurality of processing modules are electrically connected to each other.

Muscles of the human body generally operate in response to electrical stimulation provided by nerves. Therefore, when abnormalities occur in facial muscles or the like, it may be necessary to treat the nerves connected to the muscles.

Conventionally, when an abnormality occurs in the facial nerve or the laryngeal nerve, therapeutic actions such as drugs and surgery have been performed. In this case, a local massage or the like was performed for the patients, in order to prevent the degeneration of the muscles by stimulating the damaged muscles by stimulating the peripheral nerves while the damaged nerves are restored.

In other words, if the stimulation is blocked by muscles, such as surgery for facial nerves or laryngeal nerve palsy patients, because the muscles are damaged and permanent muscle damage or paralysis may occur, The method of massaging muscles or providing electrical stimulation from outside has been proposed.

Meanwhile, in the related art, an element inserted into a human body to provide a physical stimulus or obtaining information about a specific value in the human body has been proposed. Hereinafter, an apparatus including an electrode for providing an electrical stimulation to a nerve or detecting the electrical stimulation will be described. .

First, a device for detecting an electrical signal of a nerve has been proposed based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). The conventional technology is a technology for monitoring changes in membrane capacitance of nerves according to external stimuli using gating of MOSFET devices, and simultaneously monitoring a plurality of neural responses. Such a conventional technique has been applied to a method of detecting nerve signals by fixing a position of neurons of a snail and cultivating by limiting mobility of a pillar-shaped pillar made of polyimide around a P-MOSFET (Zeck et. al., Noninvasive neuroelectric interfacing with synaptically connected snail neurons immobilized on a semiconductor chip, Proc Nat Acad Sci 2001; 98). FIG. 1 is a diagram showing intercellular signals and extracellular signals detected according to this first conventional technique.

Secondly, a technique for detecting electrical stimulation of brainstem or neuron fiber has been proposed. Normann Group and Cyberkinetics of the University of Utah in the United States have been working on measuring electrical signals and stimulating nerves by inserting multi-electrodes directly into the nerves and brain since 2000 (Normann et. Al., Long-Term Stimulation and Recording With a Penetrating Microelectrode Array in Cat Sciatic Nerve, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, VOL. 51, NO. 1, JANUARY 2004). Figure 2 shows a second electrode according to the prior art and the electrode is inserted into the sciatic nerve of the cat.

Third, a technique of inserting a sieve-shaped electrode into a neuron fiber has been proposed. Through joint research by Fraunhofer-IBMT, IMTEK, etc. in Germany, research is conducted on nerve regeneration by inserting a sieve-shaped electrode into a neuron fiber and applying electrical stimulation. (Anup et. Al., Design, in vitro and in vivo assessment of a multi-channel sieve electrode with integrated multiplexer, J. Neural Eng. 3 (2006) 114-24). 3 is a sieve-shaped electrode based on the third prior art described above. The diameter of the entire sieve is 1.5 mm, the same as that of the rat sciatic nerve, and 571 holes having a diameter of 40 μm are arranged at intervals of 70 μm. In addition, a ring-shaped electrode surrounds 27 holes and has an area of 2200 μm ² .

In the above-described prior art of FIG. 1, the noise of the MOSFET device is high, so that only the tendency of the electrical signal can be confirmed. In the prior art of FIG. 2, the brain stem or nerve cell dies when the electrode is inserted. When inserting three sieve-shaped electrodes, there is a problem in that cross-talk occurs between the electrodes, so that electrical signals cannot be detected accurately.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical stimulation continuously to the nervous system without killing the nerve fibers and to obtain an electrical signal nerves that can solve the problem of muscle damage It is to provide an element.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a neural device capable of transmitting and receiving an electrical signal or an electrical stimulus with each other even if there are disconnected parts by electrically connecting a plurality of processing modules to each other.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a neural device that can be smaller in size than a conventional cuff, has a nanowire-based probe on the inner wall, and can selectively select a specific nerve bundle to stimulate or detect a signal. It is.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a neural device that does not interfere with the insertion of the nanowires by setting the direction of the nanowire forming direction and the direction of the processing module differently.

The present invention to achieve the above object, a hollow cylindrical form, a portion of the circumference of the cylinder is cut off having a cuff opening; A plurality of nanowire modules including at least one nanowire fixed to one end of the cuff and extending in a vertical direction and inserted into a nerve to obtain an electrical signal from the nerve fiber or to apply an electrical signal to the nerve fiber; And a processing module electrically connected to the plurality of nanowire modules, the processing module capable of mutually transmitting and receiving an electrical signal or electrical stimulation between any of the selected nanowire modules.

In the present invention, the processing module may process an electrical signal obtained from any nanowire module selected from the plurality of nanowire modules and apply it as an electrical stimulus to any other nanowire module.

In the present invention, the nanowires may be arranged in one direction to form a linear nanowire module, in which case the nanowire modules may be arranged to face each other in a cross shape. The nerve fibers that make up the nerve bundles transmit nerve signals to perform different functions.In addition, cross-shaped signals, such as cross stimulation, are applied to the nerve stimulus signal or detect the signal through local stimulation or detection. It can be maximized.

In the present invention, a cuff may be formed in the cuff, which may be used as another additional function, for example, a passage for drug delivery from the outside. The form of the perforation is not particularly limited and may be formed in various forms.

In the present invention, the cuff and the nanowire may be made of one or two or more alloys selected from silicon, gold, silver, iridium, iridium oxide, platinum, tin, nickel, chromium, rhenium, and copper.

In addition, the present invention forms a hollow cylindrical shape, a portion of the circumference of the cylinder is cut off having an open portion; A plurality of nanowire modules including at least one nanowire fixed to one end of the cuff and extending in a vertical direction and inserted into a nerve to obtain an electrical signal from the nerve fiber or to apply an electrical signal to the nerve fiber; And a processing module electrically connected to the plurality of nanowire modules and capable of mutually transmitting and receiving an electrical signal or an electrical stimulus between any of the nanowire modules selected from the plurality of nanowire modules, wherein the nanowire module is a cuff. And a processing module formed on a second surface different from the first surface of the cuff.

In the present invention, the angle formed by the normal vector of the second surface and the normal vector of the first surface is 170 degrees to 180 degrees, and the nanowire module and the processing module may be connected through a through via hole connection. .

In the present invention, the through via hole may be located in a region different from the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) region of the cuff.

In the neural device of the present invention, a plurality of processing modules are electrically connected to each other, so that even if there is an area where nerves are disconnected, the neural device may transmit and receive an electrical signal or an electrical stimulus.

In addition, while the existing cuff equipment stimulates the nerve bundles or detects the signals from an overall perspective, the neural elements of the present invention can be varied in size, so that specific nerve bundles can be selectively selected to stimulate or detect the signals. have.

In addition, although the existing equipment has a large tip size and necrotic neural cells, the neural device of the present invention has a nano-sized tip, and thus can be stimulated and detected without damaging the nerve cells.

In addition, in the past, there has been a burden to cut the nerve bundle, the neural element of the present invention adopts a cuff structure surrounding the nerve does not damage the nerve.

In addition, the neural device of the present invention can be used without any damage on the body even in the body organs that are difficult to measure and detect by the conventional method, it is possible to open a new market, as well as to replace the existing market.

In addition, the neural device of the present invention may be set so that the direction of forming the nanowires and the direction of the processing module are different so that the nanowires are not disturbed to be inserted into the nerves.

1 is a diagram showing intracellular signals and extracellular signals detected according to the first prior art.
Figure 2 shows a second electrode according to the prior art and the electrode is inserted into the sciatic nerve of the cat.
3 is a sieve shaped electrode based on a third prior art.
4 is a perspective view of a neural device having one nanowire module in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view of a neural device having a cross-shaped nanowire module according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a perspective view of a neural element with perforations formed in the cuff for another function according to a third embodiment of the invention.
7 is a view showing an example in which the nerve element according to the invention is inserted into the nerve.
8-10 is a figure explaining an example of the method of manufacturing the neural element of this invention.
11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a matrix of processing modules in accordance with the present invention.
12 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a processing module transmits and receives at a site where nerves are disconnected according to the present invention.
Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a neural device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a diagram showing a nerve device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a nerve device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 16 is a diagram showing a nerve device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The neural device according to the present invention comprises a nano-sized material. Nano-sized materials can be used in a variety of sensors because their small size increases the surface area / volume ratio, which predominates the electrochemical reactions occurring on the surface.

In particular, one-dimensional nanomaterials, such as nanotubes, nanowires, and nanorods, have a large aspect ratio and are easily manipulated, and thus have been implemented as nano devices first.

The present invention proposes a neural device based on nanowires to obtain electrical signals from nerves.

4 is a perspective view of a neural device having one nanowire module according to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the neural device according to this embodiment includes a cuff 11, a nanowire module 20 and a processing module 40. It consists of.

The cuff 11 has a hollow cylindrical shape with an empty inside, and a portion of the circumference of the cylinder is broken to have an open portion 12, through which the cuff 11 can be inserted into the nerve. .

The size of the opening 12 is not particularly limited, and may be larger or smaller than the drawing as necessary, and may be almost attached because the opening is small.

The cuff 11 of the present invention has a structure similar to that of the existing cuff, but can be reduced in size.

The cuff 11 may be made of various materials. For example, it may be made of one of silicon, gold, silver, iridium, iridium oxide, platinum, tin, nickel, chromium, rhenium (rhenium) and copper, or an alloy of various combinations of two or more thereof. In addition, any semiconductor device or metal that can be implemented as a nano device by a nano process can be used.

The nanowire module 20 is composed of a plurality of nanowires 21. That is, a plurality of nanowires 21 gather to form the nanowire module 20.

In FIG. 4, the nanowires 21 are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the cuff 11 on the inner surface of the cuff 11 to form a nanowire module 20 having a linear shape. However, the arrangement and arrangement of the nanowires 21 may be arranged in various forms without being limited to the arrangement of FIG. 4.

As can be seen in Figure 4, the nanowire 21 is fixed to one end on the inner surface of the cuff 11 is extended in the vertical direction.

In the present invention, the vertical refers to a straight line and a straight line, a straight line and a plane, and an angle formed by the plane and the plane is approximately right angles, and may be viewed at approximately right angles in the range of 80 to 100 degrees. Even when losing, it can be seen as a straight line.

As such, the inner wall of the cuff 11 has a nano-wire 21-based probe, the arrangement and number of the probe can be adjusted as needed.

The processing module 40 serves to control neural signals or electrical stimuli transmitted and received through the nanowires 21.

The processing module 40 is installed at a position corresponding to the nano wire module 20 on the outer surface of the cuff 11, and a plurality of processing modules 40 may be electrically connected to one nano wire module 20. Since the plurality of processing modules 40 are electrically connected to each other, even if there are disconnected areas, the plurality of processing modules 40 may transmit and receive electrical signals or electrical stimuli to each other.

The processing module 40 may comprise a CMOS, or CMOS may be coupled to the processing module 40.

Nanowire 21 according to the present invention is characterized by obtaining an electrical signal from the nerve fibers, or providing electrical stimulation to the nerve fibers. Anatomically, nerves are elongated structures that can be seen with the naked eye, and histologically, many nerve bundles are collected. On the other hand, the nerve bundle is a collection of a number of nerve fibers (nerve fibers). Nerve fiber refers to the axon portion of nerve cells, and is called a nerve fiber because the axon is a thin and long shape like a fiber. Nerve fibers are called by various names, such as axons or axons.

Each of the nerve fibers is wrapped by a soft connective tissue, the endoneurium, and the nerve bundle is wrapped by a perineurium. These membranes are all there to protect the nerves, and only the outer nerve membranes are identified with the naked eye.

Nanowire 21 according to the present invention is inserted into the nerve fiber to obtain an electrical signal, or provide an electrical stimulation. That is, the nanowires 21 according to the present invention are inserted into nerve fibers in the nerve bundles to obtain electrical signals generated along the surface of nerve cells in the nerve fibers, or provide electrical stimulation to nerve cells in the nerve fibers.

Conventionally, electrodes prepared in a macro unit size were arranged and inserted into nerve fibers. In this case, the nerve fibers to which the electrodes are inserted are damaged and the nerve fibers die. However, in the case of the present invention, since the nanowires 21 are used for obtaining an electrical signal and / or providing electrical stimulation, damage to nerve fibers can be minimized.

In general, the diameter of the nerve fiber is more than a few micrometers, whereas the nanowire 21 is only a few tens to hundreds of nanometers (nm) in diameter and is inserted into any portion of the nerve fiber to electrical stimulation to nerve cells in the nerve fiber. By providing or acquiring an electrical signal, even when the nanowire 21 is inserted, it does not significantly damage the nerve fiber.

The direction in which the nanowires 21 are inserted into the nerve fibers is not limited. For example, the nanowires 21 may be inserted in the longitudinal direction and / or the vertical direction of the nerve fibers. When the nanowires 21 are inserted in the longitudinal direction, there is an advantage that the contact area between the nanowires 21 and the outer portion of the nerve fibers is easily maximized.

The nanowires 21 may acquire electrical signals from the nerve fibers contained in the nerves and at the same time apply electrical stimuli to the nerve fibers. Alternatively, the nanowires 21 may be configured to perform only one function of the acquisition of the electrical signals or the application of the electrical stimuli. Can be.

Some of the plurality of nanowires 21 may apply electrical stimulation to nerve fibers, and others may acquire electrical signals from the nerve fibers. For example, the neural device may include only a plurality of nanowires for obtaining an electrical signal from the nerve fiber, or may include only a plurality of nanowires for applying electrical stimulation to the nerve fibers.

In addition, the neural device includes a plurality of nanowires for obtaining an electrical signal from nerve fibers, a plurality of nanowires for applying electrical stimulation to the nerve fibers, and nanowires for obtaining an electrical signal from the nerve fibers or applying electrical stimulation to the nerve fibers. It may include all.

5 is a perspective view of a neural device having a cross-shaped nanowire module according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein the neural device according to this embodiment has a cross-shaped nanowire module 20.

In FIG. 5, four nanowire modules 20 are arranged to face each other in a cross shape on the inner surface of the cuff 11, and four processing modules 40 are disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the cuff 11 with the nanowire module 20. Coupled to the corresponding position.

The nerve fibers that make up the nerve bundles transmit nerve signals to perform different functions.In addition, cross-shaped signals, such as cross stimulation, are applied to the nerve stimulus signal or detect the signal through local stimulation or detection. It can be maximized.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a neural device with perforations formed in the cuff for another function in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, which, unlike the neural device of FIG. 4, illustrates a plurality of perforations 30. Have

Perforation 30 may be used as another additional function, such as a passage for drug delivery from the outside.

As shown in FIG. 6, the perforations 30 may be formed at regular intervals along the circumferential direction and the longitudinal direction, but are not limited thereto and may be arranged in various forms. However, the perforation 30 is preferably disposed between the nanowire module 20 avoiding the arrangement of the nanowire module 20 so as not to overlap or too close to the arrangement of the nanowire module 20.

7 is a view showing an example in which the nerve element according to the invention is inserted into the nerve.

First, the opening 12 of the cuff 11 is slightly opened so that the cuff 11 can be easily inserted into the nerve 50. At this time, as shown in Figure 7, it can be opened using a surgical tool 60 that can be tightened in the form of forceps. Since the cuff 11 is cylindrical and has an opening 12, the cuff 11 has some elasticity, so that its shape may be slightly deformed while maintaining the shape of the cylinder.

Next, the cuff 11 is inserted to surround the nerve 50, and then the cuff 11 is tightened using the surgical tool 60 to contact the nerve 50.

In this way, since the insertion into the nerve 50 through the opening 12 of the cuff 11, there is no damage to the nerve due to the insertion of the cuff (11).

The neural device of the present invention can be manufactured by various methods, hereinafter, a growth method of the nanowires 21 and a method of manufacturing the neural device having the nanowires 21 will be described.

8-10 is a figure explaining an example of the method of manufacturing the neural element of this invention.

8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of synthesizing nanowires using a catalyst. As shown, when reactants are added to the nanoclusters, nucleation and growth occurs to synthesize the nanowires. The synthesized nanowires may have a shape as shown in FIG. 9. In addition, the nanowires used in the present invention may be formed by a method described in the prior art (Si Nanowire Bridge in Trenaces: "Integration of Growth into Device Fabrication" Adv. Mater. 17, 2098, 2005). According to the above description, Nao wire having various three-dimensional structures as shown in FIG. 10 can be manufactured.

An example of a method of fabricating a neural device including perforations and nanowires is as follows.

The cuff 11 including the perforation 30 may be implemented by applying a photo mask and an etching process on a wafer of various materials such as silicon.

When the cuff 11 including the perforation 30 is formed, the catalyst is applied to the position of the cuff 11 where the nanowires 21 will grow. The catalyst may be located in any portion of the cuff 11, such as through a lithography process. The catalyst is preferably selected according to the material of the nanowires 21 to be grown. For example, when growing the silicon nanowires, Au catalysts may be used. After the catalyst is coated on the cuff 11 and then supplied with a reactant through a CVD process or the like, crystal nucleation and growth may be performed to form the nanowire 21 as described above.

The nanowires 21 may be made of various materials. For example, it may be made of one of silicon, gold, silver, iridium, iridium oxide, platinum, tin, nickel, chromium, rhenium (rhenium) and copper, or an alloy of various combinations of two or more thereof. In addition, any semiconductor device or metal that can be implemented as a nano device by a nano process can be used.

11 is a schematic diagram showing a matrix of a processing module according to the present invention, the cuff 11 is provided with a plurality of processing modules 40, for example, a ₁₁ to line up to a _1m and a ₁₁ to heat up to a _n1 Is fulfilling.

12 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a processing module transmits and receives at a site where a nerve is disconnected according to the present invention, even if there is a site 51 at the nerve 50, for example, a signal of a _{22 in} the processing module 40 is shown. The signal can be continuously processed by sending the signal to a ₁₄ beyond the cut portion 51 of the nerve 50.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a neural device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein the neural device according to this embodiment includes a cuff 710, nanowires 721 and 722, electrodes 731 and 732, and through-via hole connections. 741 and 742, electrode pads 751 and 752, and touch balls 761 and 762.

Electrodes 731 and 732 of each of nanowires 721 and 722 are connected to electrode pads 751 and 752 on opposite sides of the cuff through through via hole connections 741 and 742. That is, the electrode 731 of the nanowire 721 is connected to the electrode pad 751 through the through via hole connection 741, and the electrode 732 of the nanowire 722 is connected to the electrode through the through via hole connection 742. It is connected to the pad 752.

The electrode pad 751 outputs an electrical signal obtained from the nerve fiber through the nanowire 721 or applies a signal for electrical stimulation to the nanowire 721. The electrode pad 752 outputs an electrical signal obtained from the nerve fiber through the nanowire 722 or applies a signal for electrical stimulation to the nanowire 722.

The electrode pad 751 is connected to the processing module 770 through the touch ball 761, and the electrode pad 752 is connected to the processing module 770 through the touch ball 762.

As such, nanowire and electrode pads located on opposite sides of the cuff and processing modules are electrically connected using through via hole connection techniques. Since the cuff surface where the nanowires are provided and the surface where the electrode pad and the processing module are installed are opposite to each other, the angle formed by each normal vector is about 180 degrees.

Although not shown in FIG. 13, the cuff may be provided with a CMOS region. The CMOS area is an area on the cuff that is used to implement CMOS. The through via hole connections 741 and 742 are preferably disposed away from the CMOS region.

In addition, although not shown in FIG. 13, a base for positioning nanowires may be provided in each of the electrodes 731 and 732.

The base may be provided with at least one through hole. The through hole may have various cross sections, such as a circle, an ellipse, a polygon, and the like, and may have a shape corresponding to a cross section of a neural bundle or a circular shape which is easy to manufacture. In this case, the through hole may have a diameter of several tens of micrometers to several tens of nanometers.

In particular, the through hole provided in the base may be connected to the through via hole provided in the cuff. In this case, the nerve fibers may be restored through the through holes or via holes.

In addition, the base may be provided with a nano wire support for supporting the nano wire. In this case, the nanowire support may be provided on the inner circumferential surface of the through hole. The nanowire supporter supports the nanowires to be fixed in one direction. That is, the nanowires are fixed by the nanowire supports.

The nanowire support may be formed to divide the through hole into a plurality of regions. The nanowire support may have a straight shape or may be formed in a curve having various curvatures. In addition, the nanowire support may be formed to extend from the inner circumferential surface of the through hole, or may extend from one surface of the base.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a neural device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 13, but highlighting that a nanowire probe is connected to a gate or a drain of a CMOS.

Referring to FIG. 14, the neural device according to this embodiment includes nanowires 811 and 812, electrodes 821 and 822, through-via connections 851 and 852, CMOS 881 and 882, and electrode pads 830. And a touch ball 840.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, only one electrode pad 830 and one touch ball 840 are illustrated, but two or more electrode pads and touch balls may be provided according to the number of nanowires 811 and 812.

Electrodes 821 and 822 of each of nanowires 811 and 812 are connected through through via hole connections 851 and 852 to opposite sides of the cuff. In this case, each of the nanowires 811 and 812 is connected to a drain or a gate of each of the CMOS 881 and 882.

The electrode pad 830 outputs an electrical signal obtained from nerve fibers through the nanowires 811 and 812, or applies a signal for electrical stimulation to the nanowires 811 and 812.

The electrode pad 830 is connected to the processing module 870 through the touch ball 840.

As such, nanowire and electrode pads located on opposite sides of the cuff and processing modules are electrically connected using through via hole connection techniques. Since the cuff surface where the nanowires are provided and the surface where the electrode pad and the processing module are installed are opposite to each other, the angle formed by each normal vector is about 180 degrees.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a neural device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, wherein the nanowire probe device according to this embodiment includes a nanowire 910, an electrode 920, an electrode pad 930, and a touch ball 940. ).

The touch ball 940 is electrically connected to a processing module connected to the device. The nanowires 910 are formed on the base formed on the opposite side of the touch ball 940, and provide an electrical signal measured from nerve fibers to the device through the touch ball 940, or provide the touch ball 940 from the device. Electrical stimulation is applied to the nerve fibers based on the signal applied through.

The nano wire 910 is connected to the touch ball 940 through the electrode 920 and the electrode pad 930.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 15 corresponds to a case where only the nanowire probe device contacting the cuff through the touch ball 940 is separated. That is, the embodiment shown in FIG. 15 is a method of connecting a nanowire probe terminal made using a through via hole connection to a device with a touch ball independently of the device. According to the present invention, a probe device in which a nanowire and a contact pad are connected to a cuff using a through-via hole connection (when included in the device), or a nanowire and a contact pad connected to a touch ball are disposed on opposite sides of the cuff. It covers both the case where it is in electrical contact with the cuff (independently of the device).

16 is a view showing a neural device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, showing another example of the connection through the through-via connection of the electrode and the pad located on the opposite side of the cuff.

Referring to FIG. 16, the electrodes 1121 and 1122 on which the nanowires 1111 and 1112 are generated are connected to the electrode pads 1141 and 1142 through the through via hole connections 1130, respectively. That is, the electrode 1121 is connected to the electrode pad 1141, and the electrode 1122 is connected to the electrode pad 1142.

The touch ball 1151 is formed on the electrode pad 1141, and the touch ball 1152 is formed on the electrode pad 1142.

In the example shown in FIG. 16, the connection between the electrodes 1121 and 1122 and the electrode pads 1141 and 1142 is made by a portion of the through via hole connection 1130, and the remaining portion of the through via hole connection 1130 is left as it is. Will be placed. That is, the through-via hole connection 1130 does not need to be filled with all metal, and only a part of the spaces allows the electrodes of both sides of the cuff to be connected through the metal, and the remaining part may be left as a space. At this time, the outer surface of the remaining hole portion may be coated. In addition, nerve fibers or nerve tissues may grow through the holes.

Further, the through hole provided in the base may be connected to the through via hole provided in the cuff. In this case, the nerve fiber may be restored through the through hole or the through via hole, and the more space is provided in the through via hole connection, the more effectively the nerve fiber or the nerve tissue may be used for restoration.

In the neural device of the present invention, a plurality of processing modules are electrically connected to each other, so that even if there is an area where nerves are disconnected, the neural device may transmit and receive an electrical signal or an electrical stimulus.

Since the neural device of the present invention can vary in size, it is possible to selectively select specific nerve bundles to stimulate or detect a signal.

In addition, the nerve element of the present invention can be stimulated and detected without damaging the nerve cells because the size of the tip nano-level.

In addition, the neural device of the present invention adopts a cuff structure that surrounds the nerve and does not damage the nerve.

In addition, the neural device of the present invention may be set so that the direction of forming the nanowires and the direction of the processing module are different so that the nanowires are not disturbed to be inserted into the nerves.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential features of the present invention. Accordingly, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in all aspects, but should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

11, 710: cuff
12: opening
20: nano wire module
21, 721, 722, 811, 812, 910, 1111, 1112: nanowires
30: perforated
40, 770, 870, 970: Processing Module
50: nerves
51: broken nerve
60: surgical tool
731, 732, 821, 822, 920, 1121, 1122: electrode
741, 742, 851, 852, 1130: Through via hole connection
751, 752, 830, 930, 1141, 1142: electrode pad
761, 762, 840, 940, 1151, 1152: touch ball
881, 882: CMOS

Claims (14)

A cuff having a hollow cylindrical shape, with a portion of the circumference of the cylinder cut off to have an opening;
A plurality of nanowire modules including at least one nanowire fixed to one end of the cuff and extending in a vertical direction and inserted into a nerve to obtain an electrical signal from the nerve fiber or to apply an electrical signal to the nerve fiber; And
And a processing module electrically connected to the plurality of nanowire modules, the processing module capable of mutually transmitting and receiving electrical signals or electrical stimuli between any of the selected nanowire modules.
The method of claim 1,
The processing module may process an electrical signal obtained from any of the nanowire modules selected from the plurality of nanowire modules and apply the electrical signal to any other nanowire module as an electrical stimulus.
The method of claim 1,
The nanowires are arranged in one direction to form a nanowire module in the form of a line.
The method of claim 1,
The nanowire module is a neural device, characterized in that arranged in a cross form facing.
The method of claim 1,
Neural element, characterized in that perforations are formed in the cuff.
The method of claim 1,
The cuff and the nanowires are made of one, two or more alloys selected from silicon, gold, silver, iridium, iridium oxide, platinum, tin, nickel, chromium, rhenium, and copper.
A cuff having a hollow cylindrical shape, with a portion of the circumference of the cylinder cut off to have an opening;
A plurality of nanowire modules including at least one nanowire fixed to one end of the cuff and extending in a vertical direction and inserted into a nerve to obtain an electrical signal from the nerve fiber or to apply an electrical signal to the nerve fiber; And
A processing module electrically connected to the plurality of nanowire modules, the processing module capable of mutually transmitting and receiving an electrical signal or an electrical stimulus between any of the nanowire modules selected from the plurality of nanowire modules;
Wherein said nanowire module is formed on a base located on a first side of the cuff and said processing module is formed on a second side different from the first side of the cuff.
The method of claim 7, wherein
The angle between the normal vector of the second surface and the normal vector of the first surface is 170 degrees to 180 degrees, and the nanowire module and the processing module are connected through a through via hole connection. Nerve element.
The method of claim 8,
And the through via hole is located in a region different from the CMOS region of the cuff.
The method of claim 7, wherein
The processing module may process an electrical signal obtained from any of the nanowire modules selected from the plurality of nanowire modules and apply the electrical signal to any other nanowire module as an electrical stimulus.
The method of claim 7, wherein
The nanowires are arranged in one direction to form a nanowire module in the form of a line.
The method of claim 7, wherein
The nanowire module is a neural device, characterized in that arranged in a cross form facing.
The method of claim 7, wherein
Neural element, characterized in that perforations are formed in the cuff.
The method of claim 7, wherein
The cuff and the nanowires are made of one, two or more alloys selected from silicon, gold, silver, iridium, iridium oxide, platinum, tin, nickel, chromium, rhenium, and copper.

Images