Piezoelectric sound transducer for implantation in an ear
Bimorph structures are a standard method for transforming the high force of piezoelectric materials into a large deflection. Implantable hearing aids mechanically stimulate different parts of the middle ear with the help of miniaturized electromechanical actuators. One possible location to place the actuator is the round-window membrane in the cochlea, which has a diameter in the range of 1 to 2 mm. To realize this engineering problem, an arrangement similar to the image on the right has been developed. It is a piezoelectric actuator with a circular outline, in which unimorph cantilevers are arranged from the actuator’s edge to the center.
Services
- Design of prototype and micro-fabrication
- Performing microfabrication
- Deposition of piezoelectric thin films
- Characterization of piezoelectric thin film and basic device properties