Journal article
A microelectromechanical system artificial basilar membrane based on a piezoelectric cantilever array and its characterization using an animal model
J Jang, J Lee, S Woo, DJ Sly, LJ Campbell, JH Cho, SJ O'Leary, MH Park, S Han, JW Choi, J Hun Jang, H Choi
Scientific Reports | Published : 2015
DOI: 10.1038/srep12447
Abstract
We proposed a piezoelectric artificial basilar membrane (ABM) composed of a microelectromechanical system cantilever array. The ABM mimics the tonotopy of the cochlea: frequency selectivity and mechanoelectric transduction. The fabricated ABM exhibits a clear tonotopy in an audible frequency range (2.92-12.6 €‰kHz). Also, an animal model was used to verify the characteristics of the ABM as a front end for potential cochlear implant applications. For this, a signal processor was used to convert the piezoelectric output from the ABM to an electrical stimulus for auditory neurons. The electrical stimulus for auditory neurons was delivered through an implanted intra-cochlear electrode array. The..
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Awarded by National Research Foundation of Korea
Funding Acknowledgements
We thank the Center for Core Research Facilities of DGIST for technical support for MEMS fabrication. The authors are also grateful to Dr. Won Joon Song (Hanbat National University) for help with the acoustic measurement and frequency analysis, Mr. Youngjun Kim (Microtech) for technical support with the signal processor and Han-Joon Kim (DGIST) for assistance with the design of the signal process. Part of the funding for this research was provided by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean Government (2011-0013638, 2014R1A2A2A01006223, and 2013R1A2A1A09015677) and by DGIST MIREBraiN Project.