CONTOURED ELECTRODE CONTACT SURFACES

• US 20110130815A1
• Filed: 12/01/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Gibson, Peter, Dadd, Fysh
• Application Number:
  US12/628,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20110130815A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/116
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0541 Cochlear electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/38 Conductors
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/50 Inorganic material, e.g. metals, not provided for in B23K2103/02 – B23K2103/26
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0624 using ultrashort pulses, i.e. pulses of 1ns or less
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0869 Devices involving movement of the laser head in at least one axial direction
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/36 Removing material B23K26/55, B23K26/57 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/40 taking account of the properties of the material involved
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49204 Contact or terminal manufacturing

Abstract

An electrode assembly is provided. The electrode assembly comprises a carrier member and one or more electrode contacts disposed in the carrier member, wherein a surface of at least one of the electrode contacts is contoured such that the effective surface area per area unit of the center region is larger than the effective surface area per area unit of the of the region of the surface outside the center region.

Claims

1. An electrode assembly, comprising:

a carrier member;

one or more electrode contacts disposed in the carrier member, wherein a surface of at least one of the electrode contacts is contoured such that the effective surface area per area unit of the center region is larger than the effective surface area per area unit of the of the region of the surface outside the center region.

2. The electrode assembly of claim 1, wherein the effective surface area per area unit of the region of the surface outside the center region decreases from the center region towards edges of the electrode contact.

3. The electrode assembly of claim 1, wherein the region of the surface outside the center region comprises one or more portions each having a different effective surface area per area unit, wherein the portion adjacent the center region has a greater effective surface area per area unit than any other of the one or more portions.

4. The electrode assembly of claim 3, wherein the region of the surface outside the center region comprises three regions each having a different effective surface area per unit.

5. The electrode assembly of claim 3, wherein each of the two or more portions have a circular shape surrounding the center region, and wherein the circular shapes are centered at the center region.

6. The electrode assembly of claim 3, wherein each of the one or more portions have a square shape surrounding the center region, and wherein the square shapes are centered at the center region.

7. The electrode assembly of claim 1, wherein the center region has a rectangular shape substantially extending the width of the surface of the electrode contact.

8. The electrode assembly of claim 1, wherein a center region of surface of at least one of the electrode contacts has a first impedance, and wherein the region outside the center region has a second impedance, wherein the second impedance is greater than the first impedance of the center region.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein contouring the surface of the at least one electrode contact comprises:

chemically etching the at least one electrode contact.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein contouring the surface of the at least one electrode contact comprises:

applying electric discharges between an electrode discharge machine (EDM) cutting tool and the at least one electrode contact.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein contouring the surface of the at least one electrode contact comprises:

applying an acidic wash to the at least one electrode surface.

9. An electrode assembly, comprising:

a carrier member;

one or more electrode contacts disposed in the carrier member, wherein a surface of at least one of the electrode contacts is contoured such that the impedance of at least one region is smaller than the impedance of the region of the surface outside the at least one region.

10. The electrode assembly of claim 9, wherein the impedance of the region of the surface outside the at least one region decreases from the at least one region towards edges of the electrode contact.

11. The electrode assembly of claim 9, wherein the region of the surface outside the at least one region comprises one or more portions each having a different impedance, wherein the portion adjacent the at least one region has a greater impedance than any other of the one or more portions.

12. The electrode assembly of claim 11, wherein the region of the surface outside the at least one region comprises three regions each having a different impedance.

13. The electrode assembly of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more portions have a circular shape surrounding the at least one region.

14. The electrode assembly of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more portions have a square shape surrounding the at least one region.

15. The electrode assembly of claim 9, wherein the at least one region has a rectangular shape substantially extending the length of the surface of the electrode contact.

16. The electrode assembly of claim 9, wherein the at least one region has a first effective surface area per unit area, and wherein the region outside the at least one region has a second effective surface area per unit area, wherein the second effective surface area per unit area is greater than the first effective surface area per unit of the at least one region.

17. A method for manufacturing an electrode assembly, the method comprising:

forming an intermediate assembly comprising a carrier member having one or more electrode contacts therein, wherein the surface of at least one of the electrode contacts is exposed; and

contouring the surface of the at least one electrode contact such that the effective surface area per area unit of a center region of the at least one electrode contact is larger than the effective surface area per area unit of the of the region of the surface outside the center region.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein contouring the surface of the at least one electrode contact comprises:

forming a pattern of indentations such that the effective surface area per area unit of the region of the surface outside the center region decreases from the center region towards edges of the at least one electrode contact.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein contouring the surface of the at least one electrode contact comprises:

contouring one or more portions of the surface outside of the center region such that each portion has a different effective surface area per area unit, wherein the portion adjacent the center region has a greater effective surface area per area unit than any other of the one or more portions.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein contouring the one or portions of the surface outside of the center region comprises:

forming the region of the surface outside the center region into three regions each having a different effective surface area per unit.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein contouring the one or more portions of the surface outside of the center region comprises:

forming two or more portions each having a circular shape surrounding the center region, wherein the circular shapes are centered at the center region.

22. The electrode assembly of claim 19, wherein contouring the one or more portions of the surface outside of the center region comprises:

forming two or more square shaped portions surrounding the center region.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein contouring the surface of the at least one electrode contact comprises:

laser ablating the surface of at least one electrode contact with a laser beam.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein laser ablating the surface of the at least one electrode contact comprises:

impacting the surface with a laser beam from an excimer laser.