INTEGRATED MULTIMODAL SENSOR DEVICE FOR INTRACRANIAL NEUROMONITORING

• US 20160135749A1
• Filed: 06/12/2014
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agency For Science Technology and Research, Singapore Health Services Pte Limited (MOH Holdings Pte Limited)
• Original Assignee: Agency For Science Technology and Research, Singapore Health Services Pte Limited (MOH Holdings Pte Limited)
• Inventors: CHAN, Wai Pan, MARDUCCI, Margarita Sofia, LIM, Ruiqi, RAHMAN, Abdur Rub Abdur, PARK, Mi Kyoung, RAO, Jai Prashanth, GAO, Yuan, TSAI, Julius Ming Lin, CHENG, Ming-Yuan, JE, Minkyu
• Granted Patent: US 10,463,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/028 Microscale sensors, e.g. electromechanical sensors [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/063 in a linear array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/125 characterised by the manufacture of electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/031 Intracranial pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14503 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter or needle or using implanted sensors A61B5/1459, A61B5/1464, A61B5/1473, A61B5/1482, A61B5/14865 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14865 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter or needle or using implanted sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4064 Evaluating the brain A61B5/031, A61B5/369, A61B5/14553 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6852 Catheters

Abstract

There is provided a monolithically integrated multimodal sensor device for intracranial neuromonitoring, the sensor device including: a single substrate; a temperature sensor formed on a first portion of the single substrate for detecting temperature; a pressure sensor formed on a second portion of the single substrate for detecting intracranial pressure; and an oxygen sensor formed on a third portion of the single substrate for detecting oxygen concentration. In particular, sensing portions of the temperature sensor, the oxygen sensor and the pressure sensor, respectively, are formed at different layers of the sensor device. There is also provided an integrated multimodal sensor system incorporating the sensor device and the associated methods of fabrication.

Claims

1. A monolithically integrated multimodal sensor device for intracranial neuromonitoring, the sensor device comprising:

a single substrate;

a temperature sensor formed on a first portion of the single substrate for detecting temperature;

a pressure sensor formed on a second portion of the single substrate for detecting intracranial pressure; and

an oxygen sensor formed on a third portion of the single substrate for detecting oxygen concentration,

wherein sensing portions of the temperature sensor, the oxygen sensor and the pressure sensor, respectively, are formed at different layers of the sensor device.

2. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing portion of the temperature sensor is formed at the single substrate, the sensing portion of the pressure sensor is formed at intra-metal layers of the sensor device, and the sensing portion of the oxygen sensor is formed at a top metal layer of the sensor device.

3. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor comprises one or more transistors, and the sensing portion of the temperature sensor includes an active region of the respective one or more transistors.

4. The sensor device according to claim 3, wherein the transistor is a parasitic vertical PNP transistor.

5. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor comprises one or more capacitive MEMS pressure sensors, and the sensing portion of the pressure sensor includes a movable electrode of the respective one or more capacitive MEMS pressure sensors.

6. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the oxygen sensor comprises a switchable array of oxygen sensor elements, and the sensing portion of the oxygen sensor comprises a working electrode of the respective oxygen sensor elements.

7. The sensor device according to claim 6, wherein the oxygen sensor is configured to switch to one of the oxygen sensor elements to provide the oxygen level reading which satisfies a predetermined sensitivity level.

8. The sensor device according to claim 1, further comprises one or more application-specific integrated circuits formed on the single substrate for processing readings from the temperature sensor, the oxygen sensor, and the oxygen sensor.

9. A method of fabricating a monolithically integrated multimodal sensor device for intracranial neuromonitoring, the method comprising:

providing a single substrate;

forming a temperature sensor on a first portion of the single substrate for detecting temperature;

forming a pressure sensor on a second portion of the single substrate for detecting intracranial pressure; and

forming an oxygen sensor on a third portion of the single substrate for detecting oxygen concentration,

wherein sensing portions of the temperature sensor, the oxygen sensor and the pressure sensor, respectively, are formed at different layers of the sensor device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the sensing portion of the temperature sensor is formed at the single substrate, the sensing portion of the pressure sensor is formed at intra-metal layers of the sensor device, and the sensing portion of the oxygen sensor is formed at a top metal layer of the sensor device.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the temperature sensor comprises one or more transistors, and the sensing portion of the temperature sensor includes an active region of the respective one or more transistors.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the transistor is a parasitic vertical PNP transistor.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the pressure sensor comprises one or more capacitive MEMS pressure sensors, and the sensing portion of the pressure sensor includes a movable electrode of the respective one or more capacitive MEMS pressure sensors.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the oxygen sensor comprises a switchable array of oxygen sensor elements, and the sensing portion of the oxygen sensor comprises a working electrode of the respective oxygen sensor elements.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the oxygen sensor is configured to switch to one of the oxygen sensor elements to provide the oxygen level reading which satisfies a predetermined sensitivity level.

16. The method according to claim 9, further comprises forming one or more application-specific integrated circuits on the single substrate for processing readings from the temperature sensor, the oxygen sensor, and the oxygen sensor.

17. An integrated multimodal sensor system for intracranial neuromonitoring, the sensor system comprising:

a flexible catheter;

a flexible substrate;

a monolithically integrated multimodal sensor device for intracranial neuromonitoring, the sensor device comprising;

a single substrate;

a temperature sensor formed on a first portion of the single substrate for detecting temperature;

a pressure sensor formed on a second portion of the single substrate for detecting intracranial pressure; and

an oxygen sensor formed on a third portion of the single substrate for detecting oxygen concentration,

wherein sensing portions of the temperature sensor, the oxygen sensor and the pressure sensor, respectively, are formed at different layers of the sensor device, wherein the monolithically integrated multimodal sensor device is disposed on the flexible substrate and within a sensing end portion of the flexible catheter; and

a guide tip member extending from the sensing end portion of the flexible catheter to facilitate penetration and directional guidance of the flexible catheter during insertion of the sensing end portion of the flexible catheter into the cranium.

18. The integrated multimodal sensor system according to claim 17, wherein the guide tip member has a rounded tip and is made of silicone.

19. The integrated multimodal sensor system according to claim 18, further comprising a housing including therein a wireless communication module for receiving sensed data from the sensor device and an antenna for transmitting the sensed data wirelessly to one or more remote extracranial devices.

20. A method of forming an integrated multimodal sensor system for intracranial neuromonitoring, the method comprising:

providing a flexible catheter;

providing a flexible substrate;

disposing a monolithically integrated multimodal sensor device for intracranial neuromonitoring on the flexible substrate and within a sensing end portion of the flexible catheter, wherein the sensor device comprises;

a single substrate;

a temperature sensor formed on a first portion of the single substrate for detecting temperature;

a pressure sensor formed on a second portion of the single substrate for detecting intracranial pressure; and

an oxygen sensor formed on a third portion of the single substrate for detecting oxygen concentration,

wherein sensing portions of the temperature sensor, the oxygen sensor and the pressure sensor, respectively, are formed at different layers of the sensor device; and

forming a guide tip member extending from the sensing end portion of the flexible catheter to facilitate penetration and directional guidance of the flexible catheter during insertion of the sensing end portion of the flexible catheter into the cranium.