Implantable Electrical Cabling and Interconnects

在第二阶段的SBIR工作中，MicroSound Systems提出基于柔性印刷布线技术和液晶聚合物介电材料开发柔性植入式电极和互连结构。用于生物监测和神经刺激的植入物可能会使数百万患有各种生理疾病的人受益，包括听力或视力受损、糖尿病和癫痫。其他应用包括颅内压和脑血气监测，以及患者监测，用于跟踪心率等参数。这项新技术利用了先进的多层柔性印刷布线制造技术，包括激光微加工、薄膜、等离子体加工和先进的光刻技术。在第一阶段的工作中，制作了具有精细尺度特征的液晶聚合物多层高密度互连柔性电路。MicroSound现在已经接近于证明这项技术能够制造出“可植入”的电路。在第二阶段的努力中，MicroSound将继续积极推动这项技术的发展。我们将继续开发制造人工耳蜗电极阵列原型的制造工艺，并将努力扩展到视网膜植入、患者监测和一些非植入医学应用，如超声成像。拟议的商业应用：MicroSound的植入物布线技术被认为是耳蜗和视网膜植入物以及类似设备的关键，这些设备每年的市场总额超过2亿美元。这项技术对于植入式和非植入式患者监测产品（用于跟踪压力、气体或液体）以及其他医疗非植入式应用（如超声成像）也很重要，这些应用的总市场总额达到数十亿美元。

In this Phase II SBIR effort, MicroSound Systems proposes to develop flexible implantable electrode and interconnect structures based on flexible printed wiring technology and Liquid Crystal Polymer dielectric materials. Implants for biological monitoring and neurological stimulation could potentially benefit millions of people suffering from a wide range of physiological conditions, including impaired hearing or vision, diabetes, and epilepsy. Additional applications include intracranial pressure and cerebral blood gas monitoring, and patient monitoring, for tracking parameters such as heart rate. This new technology utilizes leading-edge multi-layer flexible printed wiring fabrication techniques, including laser micromachining, thin films, plasma processing, and advanced photolithography techniques. In the Phase I effort, Liquid Crystal Polymer multi-layer high density interconnect flexible circuits with fine-scale features were fabricated. And MicroSound is now closer to demonstrating that the technology is capable of producing an "implant ready" circuit. In the Phase II effort, MicroSound will continue to aggressively push the development of this technology. Development of a fabrication process for making a prototype electrode array for a cochlear implant will continue, and our efforts will be expanded to include a retinal implant, patient monitoring, and some non-implant medical applications such as ultrasound imaging. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: MicroSound's enabling implant cabling technology is seen as being essential for cochlear and retinal implants and similar devices, which together represent a market exceeding $200 million annually. This technology is also important for implantable and non-implanted patient monitoring products (for tracking pressure, gases, or fluids), and other medical non-implant applications such as ultrasound imaging, for which the total of the aggregate markets is in the billions of dollars.