Cochlear Implant for Simultaneous Multichannel Stimulation

Abstract

A new cochlear implant is described that can stimulate up to three bipolar electrode pairs simultaneously. It uses a scala tympani electrode array comprising 20 separate platinum ring electrodes. The bipolar mode of stimulation is used to minimize the spread of current in the cochlea. Nearly all of the electronics of the device are integrated into a single custom-designed large-scale integrated circuit. A prototype of the chip has been fabricated using an advanced complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology. Preliminary test results indicate that the device functions according to its specifications. The implant, which is still under development, will use a single transcutaneous inductive link to receive both controlling data and electric power from an external speech processor.