FLEXIBLE ARTIFICIAL RETINA DEVICES

• US 20120109296A1
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iridium Medical Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: National Tsing Hua University
• Inventors: Fan, Long-Sheng
• Granted Patent: US 9,114,004 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/6.63
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/14 Eye parts, e.g. lenses, corneal implants; Implanting instruments specially adapted therefor; Artificial eyes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/0017 implantable in, or in contact with, the eye, e.g. ocular inserts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00727 Apparatus for retinal reattachment
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/08 Devices or methods enabling eye-patients to replace direct visual perception by another kind of perception
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0543 Retinal electrodes

Abstract

An implant apparatus comprising a plurality of photo sensors, a plurality of micro electrodes and circuitry coupled to the photo sensors and the micro electrodes are described. The photo sensors may receive incoming light. The circuit may drive the micro electrodes to stimulate neuron cells for enabling perception of a vision of the light captured by the photo sensors. The apparatus may be implemented in a flexible material to conform to a shape of a human eyeball to allow the micro electrodes aligned with the neuron cells for the stimulation.

Claims

1. An implant apparatus comprising:

a plurality of photo sensors to receive light;

a plurality of micro electrodes; and

circuitry coupled to the photo sensors and the micro electrodes, the circuit to drive the micro electrodes to stimulate neuron cells for enabling perception of a vision of the light captured by the photo sensors, wherein the apparatus is implemented in a flexible material to conform to a shape of a human eyeball and allow the micro electrodes in close proximity to the neuron cells for the stimulation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each micro electrode is sized to target a small number of separate neuron cells.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the neuron cells are distributed in a quasi-spherical geometry based on the shape of a human eyeball.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensors, the micro electrodes and the circuitry are integrated in a semiconductor device including an array of pixel units, and wherein each pixel unit includes one of the micro electrodes, one of the photo sensors, and corresponding circuitry.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the array of pixel units comprises a microelectrode array having a resolution higher than 250 per square millimeter.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the device comprises layered structures including a semiconductor layer and metal interconnect layers, wherein the semiconductor layer includes the photosensors and transistors for the circuitry, and wherein the micro electrodes are separate from the semiconductor and metal interconnect layers, the micro electrodes coupled with the circuitry via the metal interconnect layers.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the layered structure includes a substrate layer, wherein the semiconductor layer is positioned in the layered structure close to a front side of the device and wherein the substrate layer is positioned in the layered structure close to a back side of the device opposite to the front side.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the semiconductor device allows the light to reach photo sensors in the semiconductor layer from the front side.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the micro electrodes are in contact with the neuron cells from the front side of the semiconductor device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the micro electrodes are in contact with the neuron cells from the back side of the semiconductor device, wherein the layered structures include through-silicon vias to join the metal interconnect layer and the micro electrodes.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the semiconductor device allows the light to reach the photo sensors in the semiconductor layer from the back side.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the substrate is sufficiently thinned to allow the light to reach the photo sensors passing through the substrate.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the substrate has a thickness of about less than 20 micron.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the micro electrodes are in contact with the neuron cells from the front side of the semiconductor device.

15. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the stimulation is based on electric flows from the electrodes to the neuron cells, wherein the layered structures include guard rings, and wherein each electrode is surrounded by one of the guard rings to provide local return path to confine an electric flow from the electrode to targeted neuron cells.

16. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is suitable of being implanted within living tissues, and wherein the semiconductor device is sealed within biocompatible layers to provide bi-directional protection between the living tissues and the layered structures.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein at least one of the micro electrodes include protruding tips over the biocompatible layer to increase proximity between the at least one electrodes and targeted neuron cells.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the protruding tips are arranged in one or more protruding layers of different heights above a surface of the semiconductor device to allow micro electrodes of different layers to access different layers of the neuron cells.

19. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the circuitry includes a plurality of processing circuitry, each pixel unit including one of the plurality of processing circuitry, wherein the pixel units are arranged as a network with interconnects to allow processing circuitry of each pixel unit to derive a stimulus from the light received via the pixel unit and at least one other pixel unit of the network via the interconnects.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the pixel unit is associated with at least one neighboring pixel units according to the array and wherein the at least one other pixel units include the neighboring pixel units of the pixel unit.

21. An apparatus implementable to tissues including neuron cells, comprising:

a plurality pixel units arranged in a two dimensional array to enable perception of a vision of light incoming to the pixel units, each pixel unit comprising

a photo sensor to receive the light,

a micro electrode to deliver a stimulus to targeted ones of the neuron cells for the perception, and

circuitry to derive the stimulus from the light and drive the electrode, wherein the two dimensional array is arranged within a device having a front surface and a back surface opposite to the front surface; and

biocompatible layers wrapping the device to bi-directionally protect the device and the tissues, the biocompatible layers having openings to allow electrodes of the pixel units to stimulate the neuron cells,

wherein the device comprises flexible material to allow the device to be bendable in a two dimension manner to conform to a shape of a human eyeball and

wherein the flexible material is translucent to enable the device to receive the light from either the front surface or the back surface of the device.

22. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

a plurality perforation holes through the device to allow fluidic flow between the front surface and the back surface passing the perforation holes.

23. An integrated circuit device for retina prosthesis, the device comprising:

an array of pixel units to enable perception of a vision of light, each pixel unit comprising

a sensor to sense the light,

an electrode to deliver a stimulus to targeted ones of neuron cells for the perception, and

circuitry to derive the stimulus from the light to drive the electrode,

wherein the array of pixel units are arranged with a density of higher than 250 per square millimeter in the device, and

wherein the device is bendable to allow the array of pixel units to conform to a radius of curvature of at least 12.5 millimeter according to a shape of a human eyeball.