STTR Phase I: Matrix-Addressed, Thin-Film Cochlear Implant Electrode Arrays

这项小型企业技术转移（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是显著改善听力障碍人士的生活质量。听力损失每年影响美国超过3700万人，占成年人口的15%。人工耳蜗（一种助听器）市场估计为20亿美元。该项目将开发一种植入式助听器，改善语音、声音、音乐和日常生活的声学细微差别。目标是通过技术上优越的解决方案来解决当前的技术限制，从而改善音高特异性和语音感知。这项小型企业技术转移（STTR）第一阶段项目旨在建立一种电路设计的可行性，通过消除当前传统导线束耳蜗电极的数据限制，显著提高助听器的能力。一种新颖的电路设计将在薄膜平台上使用标准制造设备制造。这些原型将进行性能、可靠性和机械测试，以指示植入患者的情况。该产品将通过增加数据处理来提高音高特异性和语音感知，从而在更宽的频率范围内实现更高分辨率的听力。此外，该设计通过自动化半导体制造工艺实现了显著的制造改进，大大降低了生产成本，提高了目前手工制造的人工耳蜗植入电极的产品一致性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to significantly improve the quality of life for people with hearing impairments. Hearing loss affects more than 37 million people in the US each year, accounting for 15% of the adult population. The cochlear implant (type of hearing aid) market is estimated at $2 B. This project will develop an implantable hearing aid with improved differentiated speech, sounds, music, and acoustic nuances of daily life. The objective is to address current technical limitations with a technologically superior solution enabling improved pitch specificity and speech perception. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project seeks to establish the feasibility of a circuit design to significantly increase the capabilities of hearing aids by eliminating the current data constraints of conventional wire bundle cochlear electrodes. A novel electrical circuit design will be fabricated on a thin-film platform using standard manufacturing equipment. These prototypes will undergo electrical bench tests of performance, reliability, and mechanical tests indicative of implanted patient conditions. This product will improve pitch specificity and speech perception by increasing data processed to enable hearing at higher resolution across a wider frequency range. Moreover, the design enables significant manufacturing improvements with automated semiconductor fabrication processes that significantly reduce production costs and improve product consistency over current hand-made cochlear implant electrodes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.