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A double-sided, single-chip integration scheme using through-silicon-via for neural sensing applications.
Chih-Wei Chang1, Lei-Chun Chou, Po-Tsang Huang
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
Biomedical Microdevices
|February 6, 2015
Summary
This study introduces a novel single-chip integration method for CMOS circuits and MEMS neural probes using through-silicon-vias (TSVs). The technology enables compact, high-performance neural sensing devices with successful in-vivo implantation demonstrated.
Area of Science:
- Integrated circuit design
- Biomedical engineering
- Materials science
Background:
- Current neural probe technologies face limitations in integration density and performance.
- Monolithic integration of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) circuits and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is crucial for advanced neural sensing.
- Through-silicon-via (TSV) technology offers a pathway for vertical interconnects in heterogeneous integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate a double-sided, single-chip monolithic integration scheme for CMOS circuits and MEMS neural probes.
- To implement and validate this integration scheme for neural sensing applications.
- To assess the performance and long-term viability of the integrated device.
Main Methods:
- Utilized standard 0.18 μm CMOS technology and TSV fabrication.
- Integrated a neural probe array on the back-side with CMOS circuits on the front-side via low-parasitic TSVs.
- Designed and characterized a differential-difference amplifier (DDA) based analog front-end circuitry.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated a compact 5x5 mm² single-chip device with a 16-channel neural probe array and CMOS circuitry.
- Achieved low power consumption (21.88 μW), high common-mode rejection ratio (108 dB), and low input-referred noise (2.56 μVrms) per channel.
- Demonstrated feasibility through in-vivo long-term implantation for 7 and 58 days.
Conclusions:
- The proposed heterogeneous integration scheme using TSVs is feasible for compact neural sensing devices.
- The fabricated device exhibits excellent performance characteristics suitable for neural recording.
- This approach can be extended for higher-density neural recording arrays.
