On the Fabrication and Characterization of Polymer-Based Waveguide Probes for Use in Future Optical Cochlear Implants

Improved hearing restoration by cochlear implants (CI) is expected by optical cochlear implants (oCI) exciting optogenetically modified spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) via an optical pulse generated outside the cochlea. The pulse is guided to the SGNs inside the cochlea via flexible polymer-based wav...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Materials 2022-12, Vol.16 (1), p.106
Main Authors: Helke, Christian, Reinhardt, Markus, Arnold, Markus, Schwenzer, Falk, Haase, Micha, Wachs, Matthias, Goßler, Christian, Götz, Jonathan, Keppeler, Daniel, Wolf, Bettina, Schaeper, Jannis, Salditt, Tim, Moser, Tobias, Schwarz, Ulrich Theodor, Reuter, Danny
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coatings
Cochlea
Cochlear implants
Design
Etching
Investigations
Light
Luminous intensity
Micromachining
Microscopy
Optical microscopes
Plating
Polymers
Semiconductor lasers
Silicon wafers
Spin coating
Transplants & implants
Waveguides
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Summary:Improved hearing restoration by cochlear implants (CI) is expected by optical cochlear implants (oCI) exciting optogenetically modified spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) via an optical pulse generated outside the cochlea. The pulse is guided to the SGNs inside the cochlea via flexible polymer-based waveguide probes. The fabrication of these waveguide probes is realized by using 6" wafer-level micromachining processes, including lithography processes such as spin-coating cladding layers and a waveguide layer in between and etch processes for structuring the waveguide layer. Further adhesion layers and metal layers for laser diode (LD) bonding and light-outcoupling structures are also integrated in this waveguide process flow. Optical microscope and SEM images revealed that the majority of the waveguides are sufficiently smooth to guide light with low intensity loss. By coupling light into the waveguides and detecting the outcoupled light from the waveguide, we distinguished intensity losses caused by bending the waveguide and outcoupling. The probes were used in first modules called single-beam guides (SBGs) based on a waveguide probe, a ball lens and an LD. Finally, these SBGs were tested in animal models for proof-of-concept implantation experiments.
ISSN:1996-1944
1996-1944
DOI:10.3390/ma16010106