A Parylene Ribbon Cable for Neural Prosthetic Applications

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目涉及高度柔性的聚二甲苯C微带电缆的工艺开发和评估，该电缆具有生物相容性和生物稳定性。这种电缆将用于连接微电极阵列与经皮连接器以及与其他体内微电子阵列和模块。关键的创新是采用阵列和连接器直接集成到带状电缆中形成整体结构的方法。因此，合成后不需要将电缆连接到阵列和连接器上。主要优点是极高的灵活性和低模量，从而易于放置电极阵列，并且在体内施加在阵列上的残余系绳力最小或没有。第三个优势是广泛的电缆设计，可以使用MEMs光刻工艺轻松廉价地制造。工艺开发后的验证将侧重于增强灵活性和应力缓解的设计，以及电气和机械性能的体外测试。成功的关键标准是开发一种制造单片带状电缆结构的方法，然后评估电缆的可接受灵活性（由关键神经科学研究人员确定），加速体外测试中的机械和电气稳定性，最后在可接受的成本下制造的可行性和易用性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project addresses the process development and evaluation of an extremely flexible, Parylene C, micro-ribbon cable that is both biocompatible and biostable. Such a cable would be employed to link micro-electrode arrays with percutaneous connectors as well as with other in vivo micro-electronic arrays and modules. The key innovation is the approach utilized to form a monolithic structure with the array and connector directly incorporated into the ribbon cable. Thus there is no need to connect the cable to the array and connector after its synthesis. The primary advantages are extreme flexibility and low modulus resulting in easy placement of the electrode array and minimal to no residual tethering forces exerted on the array in vivo. A third advantage is the wide range of cable designs that can be easily and inexpensively fabricated using MEMs photolithographic processes. After process development validations will focus on designs for enhanced flexibility and stress relief as well as in vitro testing of electrical and mechanical properties. The key criteria for success are to develop a method of manufacturing a monolithic ribbon cable structure followed by evaluation, of the cable in terms of acceptable flexibility (as determined by key neuroscience researchers), mechanical and electrical stability in accelerated in vitro testing and finally feasibility and ease of manufacture at an acceptable cost.