An Auditory Nerve Stimulation Chip with Integrated AFE, Sound Processing, and Power Management for Fully Implantable...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Cochlear implants are crucial for restoring hearing in individuals with severe hearing loss.
• Existing cochlear implant systems often face challenges with miniaturization and power management.
• Fully implantable systems offer improved aesthetics and user experience but require highly integrated components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a compact and efficient system-on-chip (SoC) for a fully implantable cochlear implant.
• To integrate all necessary components, including acoustic sensing, signal processing, nerve stimulation, and power management, onto a single chip.
• To validate the performance of the integrated system through post-layout simulations.

Main Methods:

• Design and implementation of a 4-channel digital sound processing unit.
• Development of auditory nerve stimulation circuitry.
• Integration of an acoustic sensor front-end.
• Creation of a digital, switched-mode, single-inductor dual-output power supply for on-chip voltage regulation and battery charging.
• Fabrication using 14nm CMOS technology.

Main Results:

• Successful integration of acoustic sensing, digital sound processing, nerve stimulation, and power management on a single chip.
• The power supply generates 0.4 V for digital blocks and 0.9 V for analog blocks and battery charging.
• All passive components, including the inductor, are integrated on-chip.
• Post-layout simulations confirmed the functionality of the designed system.

Conclusions:

• The developed system-on-chip represents a significant advancement towards fully implantable cochlear implant solutions.
• The integrated design offers miniaturization and improved power efficiency.
• This technology has the potential to enhance the quality of life for individuals with hearing impairments.