A fully integrated preamplifier for cardiac sensing in a HV-CMOS technology

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Microelectronics

Background:

• Implantable cardiac monitoring devices require specialized preamplifiers.
• Safety regulations necessitate designs that avoid external components like decoupling capacitors.
• Minimizing power consumption and input-referred noise are critical for device longevity and signal integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel, fully integrated preamplifier stage for cardiac activity sensing.
• To leverage High Voltage CMOS (HVCMOS) technology for enhanced safety and integration in implantable devices.
• To achieve minimal power consumption and low input-referred noise.

Main Methods:

• Design and simulation of a fully integrated preamplifier stage using High Voltage CMOS technology.
• Implementation of a high-pass filter with a 75Hz cutoff frequency and 25dB gain.
• Verification of safety compliance for implantable devices without external decoupling capacitors.

Main Results:

• The proposed design integrates seamlessly, meeting implantable device safety standards.
• Achieved minimum power consumption and input-referred noise well below detectable cardiac signals.
• The preamplifier functions as a high-pass filter with a 75Hz cutoff and 25dB gain.

Conclusions:

• The novel integrated preamplifier, utilizing HVCMOS technology, is suitable for cardiac activity sensing in implantable devices.
• The design successfully integrates essential functionalities, including safety compliance and low noise, without external components.
• Fabrication in 0.6 micrometer technology is underway, validating the simulation results.