Packaging Technology for an Implantable Inner Ear MEMS Microphone.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Audiology

Background:

• Current cochlear implant (CI) systems offer significant benefits but do not provide continuous 24/7 hearing due to external components.
• A major limitation for totally implantable CI (TICI) systems is the absence of an implantable microphone.
• Sensing sound within the inner ear (cochlea) is crucial for TICI functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a packaging technology concept for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphones suitable for implantation within the human cochlea.
• To enable liquid-borne sound detection for TICI systems.
• To address the engineering challenges of integrating an implantable microphone into a TICI.

Main Methods:

• Concept development for MEMS microphone packaging.
• Incorporation of requirements: biocompatibility, long-term hermeticity, high sensing performance, and appropriate form factor.
• Numerical and experimental design verification processes.

Main Results:

• A novel packaging concept for MEMS microphones was successfully developed.
• The concept meets critical requirements for cochlear implantation and TICI integration.
• Design verification confirmed the feasibility of the proposed packaging solution.

Conclusions:

• The developed packaging concept enables the use of MEMS microphone technology for totally implantable cochlear implants.
• This advancement is a significant step towards achieving 24/7 hearing with TICI systems.
• Further engineering solutions for sensor packaging were explored and presented.