Intrinsic activation of iridium electrodes over a wireless link

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Activated Iridium Oxide Film (AIROF) microelectrodes offer superior charge injection for neural stimulation.
• High fabrication temperatures can damage AIROF, posing challenges for implantable neural stimulators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for intrinsically activating iridium microelectrodes within a wireless neural stimulator.
• To enable AIROF growth as a final assembly step, preventing thermal damage.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a wireless neural stimulator application-specific-integrated-circuit (ASIC) for intrinsic activation.
• Tuned the current-controlled driver output waveform to match traditional activation waveforms.
• Demonstrated feasibility of current-driven activation over a wireless link.

Main Results:

• Successfully achieved intrinsic activation of iridium microelectrodes.
• AIROF growth was performed as the final assembly step, avoiding thermal stress.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of wireless, current-driven activation.

Conclusions:

• Intrinsic activation of iridium microelectrodes is feasible using wireless neural stimulators.
• This method protects AIROF integrity, crucial for advanced neural stimulation devices.
• Enables robust and damage-free fabrication of AIROF-based neural stimulators.