title: Fabrication of implantable microelectrode arrays by laser cutting of silicone rubber and platinum foil.
abstract: A new method for fabrication of microelectrode arrays comprised of traditional implant materials is presented. The main construction principle is the use of spun-on medical grade silicone rubber as insulating substrate material and platinum foil as conductor (tracks, pads and electrodes). The silicone rubber and the platinum foil are patterned by laser cutting using an Nd:YAG laser and a microcontroller-driven, stepper-motor operated x-y table. The method does not require expensive clean room facilities and offers an extremely short design-to-prototype time of below 1 day. First prototypes demonstrate a minimal achievable feature size of about 30 microm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, Implanted Devices Group, Malet Place Engineering Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. schuettler@ieee.org
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schuettler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stiess
authors.forename: B V
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Suaning
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D007834:Lasers; D008420:Manufactured Materials; D008422:Materials Testing; D008839:Microelectrodes; D010984:Platinum / Q000737:chemistry*; D012826:Silicone Elastomers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D010984:Platinum