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Using Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) to Develop Diagnostic Tools

Using Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) to Develop Diagnostic Tools

Published on: October 1, 2007

MEMS capacitive accelerometer-based middle ear microphone.

Darrin J Young¹, Mark A Zurcher, Maroun Semaan

¹Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 44112, USA. darrin.young@utah.edu

IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering

|May 1, 2012

Summary

This study presents a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) middle ear microphone for hearing aids and cochlear implants. The MEMS microphone demonstrates promising sound detection capabilities, with potential for future advancements.

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Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Microsystems Engineering

Background:

Middle ear microphones are crucial for advanced hearing prostheses.
Existing technologies face limitations in size and sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

To design, implement, and characterize a novel MEMS capacitive accelerometer-based middle ear microphone.
To establish design requirements based on human temporal bone acoustic responses.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of a prototype accelerometer using a commercial silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MEMS process.
Integration of the sensor with a custom low-noise electronic integrated circuit (IC) chip.
Characterization of the sensor unit's sound pressure level (SPL) detection limits.

Main Results:

The packaged sensor unit measures 2.5 mm × 6.2 mm and weighs 25 mg.
The sensor detected SPLs of 60 dB at 500 Hz, 35 dB at 2 kHz, and 57 dB at 8 kHz.
Projected improvements indicate a sound detection limit of 24-dB SPL at 500 Hz, yielding an articulation index of 0.76.

Conclusions:

The developed MEMS middle ear microphone shows potential for hearing aid and cochlear prosthesis applications.
Further advancements in micro/nanofabrication are necessary to enhance sensitivity for improved speech understanding.
This technology represents a significant step towards fully implantable auditory devices.