KR101530775B1 - Acoustic sensor apparatus for cochlear implant and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant based on a substrate member made of a polymer rather than a silicon wafer and a method of manufacturing the device. A polymer material having excellent flexibility and adhesion is coated on a silicon wafer to form a substrate member, and beam arrays are formed on the upper surface of the substrate member using MEMS technology. Then, the substrate member on which the beam arrays are formed can be separated from the silicon wafer to produce an acoustic sensor device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant,

The present invention relates to an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant which can easily attach the acoustic sensor device to a body without using a separate fixing structure And a manufacturing method of the apparatus.

Generally, a human ear converts an external sound into an electrical signal and transmits it to the auditory area of the brain. Specifically, the acoustic signals collected through the auricle come through the external auditory meatus (the auditory meatus) and vibrate the tympanic membrane. These vibrations are transmitted to the cochlea through auditory ossicles consisting of the vertebra, the orbits and the spinal column, and the hair cells of the cochlea transform the mechanical acoustic signals into electrical signals And then transmit electrical signals to the auditory area of the brain. Through the above process, a person can perceive a sound.

However, if the hair cells in the cochlea are damaged, the electrical signal corresponding to the sound is not transmitted from the hair cells to the brain, resulting in severe hearing loss. This hearing loss can not be improved by the use of hearing aids to amplify the sound pressure.

Therefore, in recent years, a method of transplanting a cochlear implant (cochlear implant) into the human body as a method of treating a hearing loss due to damage of a hair cell has been widely practiced. In other words, this method is a method of restoring auditory ability by electrically stimulating the remaining auditory nerve inside the cochlea according to the acoustic signal.

A detailed explanation of the recognition method of the sound through the cochlear implant is as follows. First, sound energy is converted into an electric signal through a microphone mounted on the outside of the human body, and then an electric signal is encoded through a speech processor. The coded electric signal is wirelessly transmitted to a receiver / stimulator inserted into the skin of a human body through a RF transmission coil, and the transmitted signal is transmitted to an electrode array array, and the sound is perceived in the brain by stimulation of the auditory nerve.

Since the conventional cochlear implant has a structure in which the transmitter and the speech processor are disposed outside the human body, the cochlear implant has many limitations in life after the implantation of the cochlear implant. For example, activities such as bathing and swimming are difficult, and the size thereof may lead to inconvenience and aesthetic deterioration of living. In particular, since cochlear implantation is performed mainly on children under 3 years of age, it is highly likely that the surgeon will experience a mental shock when he or she recognizes the disorder. In addition, since the receiver-stimulator inserted in the back of the ear during the operation of the cochlear implant has a disadvantage of periodically replacing the battery, the receiver-stimulator is connected to the electrode and the wire entering the scallop, Can cause side effects. In addition, even if cochlear implantation occurs only in cochlear ducts, conventional cochlear implantation can not be used in the normal state due to its structure and operation principle.

In order to fundamentally solve the above problems, research and development on cochlear implants that are completely inserted into the ear have been actively conducted. In order to implement a fully inserted cochlear implant, the outer shape should be designed to be small enough to be easily inserted into the ear, and easily attached to a body tissue such as a tympanic membrane.

For example, Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-7002746 (entitled "Vibration Detector, Sound Detector, Hearing Aid, and Deposition Method and Related Methods, Date of Publication: Jun. 17, 2005) A hearing improvement device 10 is disclosed. The hearing improvement device 10 as described above includes a vibration detector / converter 12 having a resonator array 28 that resonates according to the frequency of the external sound. Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-7002746 discloses a method of making the housing of the hearing improvement device 10 into a special shape or installing the hearing improvement device 10 in the body in order to stably fix the hearing improvement device 10 to the body Thereby forming a specific shape of the implantation space.

That is, the existing cochlear implant must employ a separate fixation structure to stably fix it on the body tissue. Therefore, the structure of the cochlear implant may be complicated, and the operation procedure of the cochlear implants may become very complicated.

The embodiments of the present invention provide an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant and a method of manufacturing the same that can easily attach the acoustic sensor device to a body without employing a separate fixing structure.

In addition, embodiments of the present invention provide an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant which can form a beam array pattern for sensing sound on a substrate of a polymer material excellent in flexibility and adhesion, and a method of manufacturing the device.

In addition, embodiments of the present invention provide an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant which can be mass-produced using MEMS technology and a method of manufacturing the device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a piezoelectric resonator comprising: a piezoelectric member formed to resonate at a frequency of an external sound and to generate an electric signal corresponding to a resonance frequency at resonance; And a substrate member formed on the upper surface of the piezoelectric member and the electrode member and formed of a polymer material so as to be easily attached to the body. The present invention also provides an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant.

That is, in the present embodiment, since the substrate member is formed of a polymer material having excellent flexibility and adhesion, the substrate member can be stably and easily attached to a body tissue such as an eardrum or an auditory nerve.

According to one aspect, the electrode member may include a lower electrode member provided between an upper surface of the substrate member and a lower surface of the piezoelectric member, and an upper electrode member provided on an upper surface of the piezoelectric member.

According to one aspect, the piezoelectric member may be formed of an aluminum nitride (AIN) material. The substrate member may be formed of at least one material selected from the group consisting of polydimethylsiloxane, parylene, and polyamide.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the piezoelectric member, the electrode member, and the substrate member may be formed in a layered structure using MEMS technology, and the piezoelectric member and the electrode member may be formed in a beam array pattern .

The beam array may be arranged in a spiral shape on the substrate member and arranged to increase or decrease the length of the beam arrays.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: coating a substrate member of a polymer material on an upper surface of a silicon wafer using MEMS technology; depositing a lower electrode member on an upper surface of the substrate member; Depositing an upper electrode member on an upper surface of the piezoelectric member; and separating the substrate member having the lower electrode member, the piezoelectric member, and the upper electrode member from the silicon wafer A method of manufacturing an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant is provided.

That is, in this embodiment, after the substrate member of the polymer material is coated on the silicon wafer, the substrate member on which the lower electrode member, the piezoelectric member, and the upper electrode member are formed is separated from the silicon wafer, An acoustic sensor device based on a material can be simply manufactured. Such a polymer material is excellent in flexibility and adhesion, and can be easily attached to body tissues of various structures.

According to one aspect, the lower electrode member, the piezoelectric member, and the upper electrode member may be formed in a beam array pattern.

According to one aspect, a manufacturing method of an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant according to the present embodiment is performed during a step of depositing the upper electrode member and a step of separating the substrate member from the silicon wafer, thereby forming a passivation and performing passivation on the data.

The acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant according to an embodiment of the present invention and the method of manufacturing the device for an acoustic coherence sensor of the present invention can be applied to an acoustic sensor device without using a separate fixing structure, It can be easily attached. That is, the substrate material of the polymer material is excellent in flexibility and adhesion, and can be easily attached to a body tissue such as an eardrum or an auditory nerve.

Further, the acoustic sensor device for cochlear implant according to the embodiment of the present invention and the method of manufacturing the same can form a beam array pattern on the upper surface of the substrate member of the piezoelectric member and the electrode member, Can be separated and detected accurately.

In addition, since the acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant according to an embodiment of the present invention and the method for manufacturing the same are manufactured using the MEMS technology, a mass production of the acoustic sensor device can be achieved, Can be realized.

In addition, the acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant according to an embodiment of the present invention and the method for manufacturing the same can easily attach the substrate member of the polymer material to the body tissue by friction force, It is relatively easy to implant the implant.

1 is a view showing an installation state of an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a front view showing the acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant shown in FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in Fig.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a manufacturing process of the acoustic sensor device according to the manufacturing method shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to or limited by the embodiments. Like reference symbols in the drawings denote like elements.

1 is a view showing an installation state of an acoustic sensor device 100 for a cochlear implant according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view showing an acoustic sensor device 100 for a cochlear implant shown in FIG. 1 And Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in Fig.

Referring to FIG. 1, an acoustic sensor device 100 for a cochlear implant according to an embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for sensing external sound in a cochlear implant. For example, the acoustic sensor device 100 may sense the frequency of the external sound and then generate an electrical signal to stimulate the auditory nerve according to the frequency of the external sound. Then, the cochlear implant can transmit the electric signal of the acoustic sensor device 100 to the auditory nerve of the ear to directly stimulate the auditory nerve, and the brain can sense the external sound by the stimulation of the auditory nerve.

The cochlear implant may be a fully inserted type that is fully inserted into the body. Therefore, the acoustic sensor device 100 can be made small enough to be easily implanted in the inside of the body, and can be formed to be smoothly attached to body tissues of various shapes.

As shown in FIG. 1, the acoustic sensor device 100 may be disposed on an acoustic transmission path formed inside the ear to sense external sounds coming into the human ear. For example, the acoustic sensor device 100 may be placed on the ear canal 104 or the eardrum 106 or the like. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the acoustic sensor device 100 is attached to the eardrum 106 and used as an artificial basement membrane.

When the acoustic sensor device 100 is disposed as described above, the external sound can be gathered by the auricle 102 and then enter the ear through the ear canal 104. When the acoustic sensor device 100 is inserted through the ear canal 104 It is possible to generate an electric signal corresponding to the frequency band of the external sound after sensing the incoming external sound. That is, in one embodiment of the present invention, the acoustic sensor device 100 can detect the external sound transmitted to the eardrum 106 of the normal person under the same condition. Therefore, one embodiment of the present invention is a structure that appropriately uses the auricle 102, the external ear canal 104, and the like, thereby omitting a separate receiver for receiving external sound.

In addition, the acoustic sensor device 100 may be connected in signal communication with the auditory nerve to transmit electrical signals to the auditory nerve. For example, the acoustic sensor device 100 can be signalably connected to the auditory canal in the cochlear duct 108 by a cable 101. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications may be possible depending on the design conditions and conditions of the acoustic sensor device 100. For example, the acoustic sensor device 100 and the audiogram in the cochlea 108 may be connected in a wireless manner, or the acoustic sensor device 100 may be connected to an auditory nerve present in a region other than the cochlea 108.

2 to 3, an acoustic sensor device 100 for a cochlear implant according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a piezoelectric member 110, an electrode member 120, and a substrate member 130.

The piezoelectric member 110 may be formed in a structure resonated by the frequency of the external sound. In the following description, it is assumed that the piezoelectric member 110 and the electrode member 120 are formed in a beam array pattern. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and can be variously modified according to the design conditions and conditions of the acoustic sensor device 100. For example, the piezoelectric member 110 and the electrode member 120 may be formed in a cantilever array pattern.

Further, the piezoelectric member 110 may be formed to generate an electric signal corresponding to the resonance frequency at the resonance of the beam array 140. That is, the piezoelectric member 110 can convert mechanical energy of resonance into electrical air. For example, the piezoelectric member 110 may be formed of an aluminum nitride (AlN) material and may be formed into a beam array pattern by MEMS technology.

Therefore, when the frequency band of the external sound agrees with the resonance frequency band of the beam array 140, the beam array 140 can be resonated, and the piezoelectric element 110 included in the beam array 140 is resonated, It is possible to generate an electric signal corresponding to the frequency of the sound.

1 to 3, the electrode member 120 may be provided on the piezoelectric member 110 to take out an electric signal generated in the piezoelectric member 110 to the outside. For example, the electrode member 120 may be connected to the piezoelectric member 110 and the cable 101 to transmit an electric signal to the auditory nerve.

The electrode member 120 may be formed of a metal material having excellent conductivity, and may be formed as a beam array pattern by a MEMS technique. That is, the electrode member 120 may form the beam array 140 together with the piezoelectric member 110, and may be resonated by the frequency of the external sound.

For example, the electrode member 120 may include a lower electrode member 122 and an upper electrode member 124. The lower electrode member 122 may be provided between the upper surface of the substrate member 130 and the lower surface of the piezoelectric member 110 and the upper electrode member 124 may be provided on the upper surface of the piezoelectric member 110.

2 to 3, the substrate member 130 may be formed of a polymer material so as to be easily attached to various parts of the body. For example, the substrate member 130 may be formed of at least one material selected from the group consisting of polydimethylsiloxane, parylene, and polyamide. Since the polymer material is excellent in flexibility and adhesion, it can be appropriately deformed according to the shape of the body part to which the acoustic sensor device 100 is attached, and can be smoothly attached and fixed to the body tissue. Therefore, the substrate member 130 can be stably and smoothly attached to the eardrum 106 when the acoustic sensor device 100 is implanted.

A plurality of beam arrays 140 may be formed on the upper surface of the substrate member 130 such that the lower electrode member 122, the piezoelectric member 110, and the upper electrode member 124 are layered. That is, the acoustic sensor device 100 can be manufactured by layering the substrate member 130, the lower electrode member 122, the piezoelectric member 110, and the upper electrode member 124 by MEMS technology.

The substrate member 130 may be formed with a spiral resonance hole portion 132 and the resonance hole portion 132 may be provided with a beam array 140 having a both end support beam structure. As described above, the beam array 140 may be arranged in a spiral shape along the resonance hole portion 132 of the substrate member 130 such that a plurality of the beam arrays 140 are spaced apart from each other at regular intervals.

Here, the resonance hole portion 132 may have a structure in which the width of the resonance hole portion 132 is extended along the length direction of either the clockwise or the counterclockwise direction. Also, as the width of the resonance hole portion 132 is increased, the length of the beam arrays 140 may be increased and the resonance frequencies may be different from each other.

Hereinafter, an operation and a manufacturing method of the acoustic sensor device 100 for a cochlear implant according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

First, the installation and operation of the acoustic sensor device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

The acoustic sensor device 100 is installed in a human ear through an implant procedure. At this time, the acoustic sensor device 100 may be attached to the eardrum 106 to serve as an artificial basement membrane. In addition, the acoustic sensor device 100 can be connected to the auditory nerve present in the cochlea 108 in the ear by the cable 101. [

As described above, when the acoustic sensor device 100 is implanted, the external sound can be collected into the ear through the ear canal 102 of the person and then transmitted to the acoustic sensor device 100 along the ear canal 104, The beam array 140 having the same resonance band as the frequency band of the external sound among the beam arrays 140 of the apparatus 100 can be selectively resonated. When the beam array 140 is resonated as described above, an electric signal of a specific magnitude is generated in the piezoelectric member 110 due to a change in the vibration pressure generated in the resonance. The electric signal generated in the beam array 140 may be transmitted to the audiences through the cable 101 and the audiences may be stimulated by electrical signals corresponding to the actual frequency band of the sound.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing an acoustic sensor device 100 for a cochlear implant according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing process of the acoustic sensor device 100 according to the manufacturing method shown in FIG. Fig. Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the acoustic sensor device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG.

4 and 5, a manufacturing method of an acoustic sensor device 100 for a cochlear implant according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of forming a substrate member (not shown) of a polymer material on the upper surface of a silicon wafer 150 (11) depositing a lower electrode member (122) on the upper surface of the substrate member (130); depositing a piezoelectric member (110) on the upper surface of the lower electrode member A step 13 of depositing an upper electrode member 124 on the upper surface of the piezoelectric member 110 and a step 13 of depositing a lower electrode member 122 on the upper surface of the piezoelectric member 110, (15) separating the silicon wafer (130) from the silicon wafer (150).

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5A and 5B, in step 10 of coating the substrate member 130, a polymer material is thinly coated on the upper surface of the silicon wafer 150 in a layer form, Shaped substrate member 130 can be formed. The substrate member 130 may be etched in a specific pattern after being coated or coated with a specific pattern on the upper surface of the silicon wafer 150. For example, the substrate member 130 may be patterned so as to form a spiral-shaped resonance hole portion 132 at the central portion thereof. Inside the resonance hole portion 132, So that the beam array 140 having both end support beams connected to both ends can be formed.

Here, the inside of the silicon wafer 150 is formed of pure silicon (Si) 152, but the surface of the silicon wafer 150 may be formed of silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) 154.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5C, in the step 11 of depositing the lower electrode member 122, a metal material is deposited in a layered pattern on a pattern portion of the beam array 140 formed on the substrate member 130 .

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5D, in the step 12 of depositing the piezoelectric member 110, an aluminum nitride material may be deposited in layers on the upper surface of the lower electrode member 122.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5E, in the step 13 of depositing the upper electrode member 124, a metal material may be deposited on the upper surface of the piezoelectric member 110 in the form of a layer.

The lower electrode member 122 and the piezoelectric member 110 and the upper electrode member 124 can be patterned into a beam array 140 on the upper surface of the substrate member 130 by MEMS technology. Accordingly, a plurality of beam arrays 140 may be formed along the resonance hole portions 132 of the substrate member 130. [

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 (f), in the step 15 of separating the substrate member 130, the substrate member 130 on which the beam arrays 140 are formed may be separated from the silicon wafer 150. The lower electrode member 122 and the beam arrays 140 formed of the piezoelectric member 110 and the upper electrode member 124 can be formed on the polymeric substrate member 130 rather than on the silicon wafer 150 have.

Meanwhile, the step of depositing the upper electrode member 124 and the step of separating the substrate member 130 may further include a step 14 of performing passivation with a polymer material. In step 14 of performing the passivation, the polymer material may be used to coat the beam array 140 or other electronic components.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the polymer member substrate 130 is coated on the silicon wafer 150, and then the lower electrode member 122, the piezoelectric member 110, and the upper electrode member 124 are formed, The substrate member 130 is separated from the silicon wafer 150 so that the acoustic sensor device 100 based on a polymer material rather than the silicon wafer 150 can be simply manufactured. Accordingly, due to the flexibility and adhesion of the polymer material, the acoustic sensor device 100 can be easily attached to body tissues of various structures.

Particularly, since the acoustic sensor device 100 can be formed in a batch manufacturing process by MEMS technology, mass production of the acoustic sensor device 100 can be achieved.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, And various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described, and all of the equivalents or equivalents of the claims, as well as the following claims, belong to the scope of the present invention .

100: Acoustic sensor device for cochlear implant
110:
120: electrode member
122: lower electrode member
124: upper electrode member
130: substrate member
132: resonance hole portion
140: beam array
150: Silicon wafer

Claims (8)

A piezoelectric member formed to resonate at a frequency of an external sound, and configured to generate an electric signal corresponding to a resonance frequency at resonance;
An electrode member provided on the piezoelectric member to take out an electric signal generated in the piezoelectric member to the outside; And
And a thin film substrate member formed on the upper surface of the piezoelectric member and the electrode member and formed of a polymer material so as to adhere to a bodily tissue having a curved surface such as an eardrum,
Wherein the substrate member is provided with a resonance hole portion which is elongated in a width-wise shape, the piezoelectric member and the electrode member are formed in a beam array pattern, and a plurality of beam arrays are spaced apart from each other along the resonance hole portion The acoustic sensor device for cochlear implant.
The method according to claim 1,
The electrode member
A lower electrode member provided between an upper surface of the substrate member and a lower surface of the piezoelectric member; And
An upper electrode member provided on an upper surface of the piezoelectric member;
And an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The piezoelectric member is formed of an aluminum nitride material,
Wherein the substrate member is formed of at least one material selected from the group consisting of polydimethylsiloxane, ferulic acid and polyamide.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the piezoelectric member, the electrode member, and the substrate member are formed in a layered structure using MEMS technology.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the resonance hole portion is formed in a spiral shape on the substrate member so that a width of the resonance hole portion extends in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction,
Wherein the beam array is provided in the resonance hole portion with a plurality of spaced-apart support structures at both ends thereof.
Coating a substrate material of a polymer material in a thin film shape on the upper surface of a silicon wafer so as to be adherable to a curved surface of a body tissue such as an eardrum using MEMS technology;
Depositing a lower electrode member on the upper surface of the substrate member;
Depositing a piezoelectric member on the upper surface of the lower electrode member;
Depositing an upper electrode member on an upper surface of the piezoelectric member; And
And separating the substrate member having the lower electrode member, the piezoelectric member, and the upper electrode member from the silicon wafer,
And performing a passivation with the same polymer material as that of the substrate member by performing the step of depositing the upper electrode member and the step of separating the substrate member from the silicon wafer Gt;
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the lower electrode member, the piezoelectric member, and the upper electrode member are formed in a beam array pattern.
The method according to claim 6,
In the step of coating the substrate member of the polymer material, a patterning process for forming a resonance hole portion in a spiral shape at a central portion of the substrate member is performed, and a beam array having both end support beam shapes is formed along the resonance hole portion A method for manufacturing an acoustic sensor device for a cochlear implant.

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