Process for manufacturing a microcircuit cochlear electrode array

1. A process for manufacturing a single microcircuit into an integrated cochlear electrode array, comprising:

securing and supporting a nonconductive film substrate;

attaching a metallic ribbon to a surface of the film substrate;

machining a flat multiconductor microcircuit from the ribbon including

(i) a flat elongated multiconductor tail portion with spaced outwardly exposed electrode receiving pads, and

(ii) a flat multiconductor head portion connected to the tail portion and having spaced outwardly exposed attachment pads;

laminating the flat microcircuit between the film substrate and an insulating cover;

excising the laminated microcircuit from the film substrate with the electrode receiving pads exposed;

wrapping the tail portion of the excised laminated microcircuit into a helix with the exposed electrode receiving pads wrapped around the insulating cover;

mounting and electrically connecting the ring electrodes on and to the exposed electrode receiving pads; and

overmolding the helix tail portion with a polymeric material to ready the microcircuit for cochlear implant.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the step of excising the laminated microcircuit also exposes the electrode receiving pads.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the step of overmolding also includes overmolding an underside of the head portion.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the step of securing and supporting the film substrate includes tensioning the film substrate in both an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein the tensioned film substrate is attached to a carrier.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein the attachment of the film substrate to the carrier comprises:

locating an open lower frame under the tensioned film substrate and imparting relative vertical movement between the lower frame and the film substrate until attachment means on the lower frame engage the film substrate, and

installing an open top frame of the carrier on the film substrate over the lower frame.

7. The process of claim 6 further including trimming excess film substrate from the carrier.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the attaching of the ribbon to the film substrate is proceeded by an etching of mating surfaces of the ribbon and film substrate followed by lowering of the ribbon onto the film substrate where pressure and heat are applied for thermal compression attachment of the ribbon to the film substrate.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein the machining of the flat multiconductor circuit from the ribbon is by laser cutting of the ribbon.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein the laser cutting is with light impulses of femtosecond time duration.