gms | German Medical Science

Artificial Vision 2015

The International Symposium on Visual Prosthetics

27.11. - 28.11.2015, Aachen

Artikel

Artikel empfehlen

Fabrication of Curved Flexible Microelectrode Arrays for epiretinal Stimulation

Meeting Abstract

Suche in Medline nach

  • Florian Waschkowski - Institute for Materials in Electrical Engineering I, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
  • A.-C. Rieck - Department of Ophthalmology, RWTH Aachen, University Hospital Aachen, Germany
  • C. Brockmann - Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen, Germany
  • T. Laube - Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen, Germany
  • N. Bornfeld - Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen, Germany
  • P. Walter - Department of Ophthalmology, RWTH Aachen, University Hospital Aachen, Germany
  • W. Mokwa - Institute for Materials in Electrical Engineering I, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
  • G. Roessler - Department of Ophthalmology, RWTH Aachen, University Hospital Aachen, Germany

Artificial Vision 2015. Aachen, 27.-28.11.2015. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2016. Doc15artvis09

doi: 10.3205/15artvis09, urn:nbn:de:0183-15artvis095

Veröffentlicht: 7. März 2016

© 2016 Waschkowski et al.
Dieser Artikel ist ein Open-Access-Artikel und steht unter den Lizenzbedingungen der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (Namensnennung). Lizenz-Angaben siehe http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Gliederung

Text

Objective: The objective of this work is to develop a flexible microelectrode array (MEA) for an epiretinal prosthesis with high acuity and a large field of view. To ensure a good contact with the retinal tissue and reduce the pressure exerted by the edge area of the structure on the retina these arrays have to adapt to the spherical shape of the eye ball.

Methods: Parylene C and Polyimide are polymeric materials which are commonly used in biomedical engineering to create flexible and yet robust base structures for implants and sensors. To induce a curvature in the device we use a high pressure deposition process for Parylene C to create a layer with low density. After a thermal annealing of the device the Parylene layer contracts due to a closer packing of the polymer chains. The radius of the induced curvature can be controlled by the layer thicknesses on both sides of the device as well as with the temperature and duration of the annealing step.

Discussion: It could be demonstrated that it is possible to create curved microelectrode arrays for epiretinal prosthesis which may adapt well to the spherical shape of the retina and enable a good contact over the whole area.

Acknowledgement: This work was supported by the Jackstaedt Foundation under grant “VLARS”.