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Fast voltage transients in capacitive silicon-to-cell stimulation detected with a luminescent molecular electronic
1Department of Membrane and Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, D-82152 Martinsried/Münich, Germany.
Physical Review Letters
|April 6, 2001
Abstract:
The capacitive stimulation of nerve cells from semiconductor chips is a prerequisite for the development of neuroelectronic devices. We report on the primary response of a cell membrane to a voltage step applied to oxidized silicon. It is observed with a luminescent voltage-sensitive dye. We find exponential voltage transients with a time constant of 1-5 micros. We assign the short response to an electrical decoupling by a thin film of electrolyte between oxide and membrane. The high-pass filtering of stimulation is a crucial constraint for the development of silicon-to-neuron interfaces.