Granted Patent B2

US 12,440,667 · App. 18/068,045 · Granted Oct 14, 2025

Inventors: Denys Nikolayev (Lviv, UA); Wout Joseph (Vichte, BE); Luc Martens (De Pinte, BE); Alexandru Andrei (Wolluwe Saint Pierre, BE); Carolina Mora Lopez (Kessel-Lo, BE); Emmeric Tanghe (Ghent, BE)

Assignees: IMEC VZW; Universiteit Gent

A61N1/0529H01B5/14H01B13/0036

Abstract

Claims (42)

1. A method for manufacturing an electrode, the method comprising:

providing, over a top surface of a substrate, a first electrically conductive element formed from one or more electrically conductive materials;

measuring at least one parameter indicative of a shape or of dimensions of the first electrically conductive element;

performing simulations of the first electrically conductive element and a dielectric wall surrounding the first electrically conductive element, wherein:

the dielectric wall for each simulation has a respective wall height from among a plurality of wall heights, and

each simulation is based on:

the respective wall height from among the plurality of wall heights,

the first electrically conductive element formed from one or more electrically conductive materials, and

the at least one parameter;

for each simulation and the respective wall height, computing a maximum current density present at a surface of the simulated first electrically conductive element;

determining, based on the maximum current densities, one or more wall heights for which the maximum current density is below a predefined threshold; and

providing a second electrically conductive element, identical to the first electrically conductive element, surrounded by a corresponding wall having a corresponding wall height of the one or more wall heights.

2. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein determining the one or more wall heights for which the maximum current density is below the predefined threshold comprises identifying among the one or more wall heights for which the maximum current density is below the predefined threshold, a specific wall height resulting in a lowest maximum current density, and

wherein providing the second electrically conductive element comprises providing an electrically conductive element, identical to the first electrically conductive element, surrounded by a wall having a wall height closer to the specific wall height than to any other wall height among the one or more wall heights.

3. The method according to claim 2 ,

wherein the electrode is for use in brain stimulation, and

wherein the brain stimulation is a deep brain stimulation.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein providing the second electrically conductive element, identical to the first electrically conductive element includes reusing the first electrically conductive element.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein providing the second electrically conductive element, identical to the first electrically conductive element includes providing a new electrically conductive element other than the first electrically conductive element.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrically conductive element has a length measured parallel to the top surface of the substrate which is larger than a height measured perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrically conductive element has a length measured parallel to the top surface of the substrate which measures from 5 μm to 200 μm or from 10 μm to 50 μm.

8. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the substrate comprises a shank, and

wherein a height of the shank is at least three times a width of the shank.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a top surface of the first electrically conductive element has a concave shape with a concavity facing the substrate.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the corresponding wall height of the corresponding wall surrounding the second electrically conductive element is measured from a bottom surface of the second electrically conductive element to a top surface of the corresponding wall and is smaller than 0.1038 times a length of the second electrically conductive element measured parallel to the top surface of the substrate.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the corresponding wall height of the corresponding wall surrounding the second electrically conductive element is smaller than 0.1000 times the length of the second electrically conductive element measured parallel to the top surface of the substrate.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the corresponding wall surrounding the second electrically conductive element has a wall height within 10% of a wall height minimizing maximum current density.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the corresponding wall is from 0.11 μm to 3 μm high.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a geometrical center of a top surface of the first electrically conductive element is higher than any edge of the top surface of the first electrically conductive element.

15. An electrode obtained by the method of claim 1 , the electrode comprising:

the first electrically conductive element over the top surface of the substrate,

wherein the first electrically conductive element is surrounded by the dielectric wall which has a wall height smaller than 0.1038 times a length of the first electrically conductive element measured parallel to the top surface of the substrate, and

wherein the wall height of the dielectric wall is measured from a bottom surface of the first electrically conductive element to a top surface of the dielectric wall.

16. The electrode of claim 15 , wherein the wall height of the dielectric wall surrounding the first electrically conductive element is smaller than 0.1000 times the length of the first electrically conductive element measured parallel to the top surface of the substrate.

17. An array of electrodes according to claim 15 .

18. A neural probe comprising the array of electrodes according to claim 17 .

19. A neural probe comprising the electrode according to claim 15 .

20. A brain stimulation system, the system comprising:

the electrode according to claim 15 ; and

an electrical pulse generator electrically coupled to the electrode.

Assignments (2)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (17)