An Analog VLSI Implementation of the Inner Hair Cell and Auditory Nerve Using a Dual AGC Model

An analog inner hair cell and auditory nerve circuit using a dual AGC model has been implemented using 0.35 micron mixed-signal technology. A fully-differential current-mode architecture is used and the ability to correct channel mismatch is evaluated with matched layouts as well as with digital current tuning. The Meddis test paradigm is used to examine the analog implementation's auditory processing capabilities and investigate the circuit's ability to correct DC mismatch. The correction techniques used demonstrate the analog inner hair cell and auditory nerve circuit's potential use in low-power, multiple-sensor analog biomimetic systems with highly reproducible signal processing blocks on a single massively parallel integrated circuit.