High-density cochlear implants with position sensing and control

Silicon Carbide Materials for Biomedical Applications

“…What was once science fiction is becoming science fact. The Cochlear implant helps thousands of individuals hear again, and the Argus eye implant helps blind individuals to see [148,[167][168][169]. Control of machines using signals directly from the brain is not only possible, but has been demonstrated many times over [170][171][172][173][174][175].…”

SiC for Brain–Machine Interface (BMI)

“…The initial NAD device was designed to perform also as a testing platform so we could explore various electrical interfaces between the semiconductor and the neuron using different electrode materials. Our first NAD device, called NAD Generation 0 or NAD0, is similar in construction to the initial Michigan probe that was created in 1970 [1,2,5,6,8,15,16]. NAD0 tested 3C-SiC as a base material, as there are still many defects which are the result of the SiC growth process, and we would like to explore the use of conductive 3C-SiC after characterizing the base material.…”

“…The combination of many of these devices can be used to construct complex MEMS devices like sensors, microprocessors, and radio transmission devices. Complex electrical devices are the backbone for the functionality of many of the MEMS devices used for neuronal interaction [5,6,8]. Unfortunately, the material properties of Si that allow for the construction of complex MEMS devices generate an unfortunate side effect when implanted within the body as we saw in the last chapter.…”

Midbrain responses to micro-stimulation of the cochlea using high density thin-film arrays

“…Furthermore, the number of distinct frequencies that users can perceive is linked to the number of active channels in the cochlea (Xu and Pfingst, 2008). Therefore, increasing the number of available and perceptually distinct electrode sites in combination with a decreased field of electrical activity during stimulation may improve the efficacy of CI listening (Clark, 2006: Wise et al, 2008.…”