PVDF-Based Piezoelectric Microphone for Sound Detection Inside the Cochlea: Toward Totally Implantable Cochlear Implants

We report the fabrication and characterization of a prototype polyvinylidene fluoride polymer-based implantable microphone for detecting sound inside gerbil and human cochleae. With the current configuration and amplification, the signal-to-noise ratios were sufficiently high for normally occurring sound pressures and frequencies (ear canal pressures >50–60 dB SPL and 0.1–10 kHz), though 10 to 20 dB poorer than for some hearing aid microphones. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the prototype devices as implantable microphones for the development of totally implantable cochlear implants. For patients, this will improve sound reception by utilizing the outer ear and will improve the use of cochlear implants

Supp File intracochlear microphone2 - Supplemental material for PVDF-Based Piezoelectric Microphone for Sound Detection Inside the Cochlea: Toward Totally Implantable Cochlear Implants

<p>Supplemental material, Supp File intracochlear microphone2 for PVDF-Based Piezoelectric Microphone for Sound Detection Inside the Cochlea: Toward Totally Implantable Cochlear Implants by Steve Park, Xiying Guan, Youngwan Kim, Francis (Pete) X. Creighton, Eric Wei, Ioannis(John) Kymissis, Hideko Heidi Nakajima and Elizabeth S. Olson in Trends in Hearing</p