Carnegie Mellon University

University of Pittsburgh

Infineon Technologies Richmond, LP

Peter J Gilgunn

Gary Keith Fedder

O Burak Ozdoganlar

Xinyan Cui

Douglas John Weber

Takashi Daniel Yoshida Kozai

Burak Ozdoganlar

Apparatus and method for surgeon-assisted rapid surgical implantation of devices into soft tissue. The apparatus comprises several subsystems that enable the referencing of the spatial position and orientation of the device being implanted with respect to the soft tissue into which it is being implanted and then the controlled implantation of the device at a predefined speed with higher positional accuracy and precision and a reduction in soft tissue damage, provided by ultrasonic assisted motion, compared to current state-of-the-art implantation methods and devices. The method includes automated loading of the device being implanted into a clamping mechanism from a cartridge holding a number of implants, referencing of the device position and orientation, referencing of the surface of the tissue into which the device is being implanted, monitoring of the tissue motion, identification of desirable implant location based on the soft tissue profile, allowance of surgeon selection and fine adjustment of the final implant location, high-speed implantation, device release and implant actuator retraction.

Apparatus and method for implantation of devices into soft tissue

Methods of fabricating ultra-miniature, ultra-compliant probe arrays through spin coating, wherein a dissolvable material in hydrogel form is dispensed onto an assembled mold with wires. Once the dissolvable material is dispensed onto the mold, centrifuging spin casts the material by evaporating the solvent, forming a dried dissolvable polymer. Finally, a device is used with water to remove excess dissolvable material to obtain a dissolvable needle with wires.

Fabrication for ultra-compliant probes for neural and other tissues

Methods, systems and apparatuses of ultra-miniature, ultra-compliant probe arrays that allows for design flexibility to match the stiffness of the tissue it is being applied to, such as the brain tissue, in all three axes (x, y and z), with interconnect cross section smaller than cell dimensions. Stiffness matching requires specific geometric and fabrication approaches, commonly leading to ultra-thin probe wires. Sizing of the electrodes for specific cell dimensions reduces glial formation. Further reduction in stiffness is obtained by incorporating different geometric features to the electrode, such as meandering the electrode wires. The small thickness and geometric features of the wires commonly result in very high compliance. To enable effective insertion of the probes to the tissue, the present invention uses stiff biodisolvable and/or biodegradable polymers, including single use or combinations of carboxymethyl cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, maltose, other sugar molecules, polylactic acid and its co-polymers.

Fabrication, methods, apparatuses, and systems for ultra-compliant probes for neural and other tissues

An apparatus and method thereof includes at least one acoustic transducer for receiving acoustic emissions produced during a semiconductor fabrication process. The acoustic transducer is mounted to various mechanical components of a semiconductor processing equipment in a manner so that the acoustic transducer receives acoustic emissions produced during the fabrication process. The received acoustic emissions are analyzed in in-situ to identify and determine surface characteristics of the wafer.

Growing community of inventors

Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Peter J Gilgunn