e-Article
Close-Packed Silicon Microelectrodes for Scalable Spatially Oversampled Neural Recording
Document Type
Periodical
Author
Source
IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. Biomedical Engineering, IEEE Transactions on. 63(1):120-130 Jan, 2016
Subject
Language
ISSN
0018-9294
1558-2531
1558-2531
Abstract
Objective: Neural recording electrodes are important tools for understanding neural codes and brain dynamics. Neural electrodes that are closely packed, such as in tetrodes, enable spatial oversampling of neural activity, which facilitates data analysis. Here we present the design and implementation of close-packed silicon microelectrodes to enable spatially oversampled recording of neural activity in a scalable fashion. Methods: Our probes are fabricated in a hybrid lithography process, resulting in a dense array of recording sites connected to submicron dimension wiring. Results: We demonstrate an implementation of a probe comprising 1000 electrode pads, each 9 × 9 μm, at a pitch of 11 μm. We introduce design automation and packaging methods that allow us to readily create a large variety of different designs. Significance: We perform neural recordings with such probes in the live mammalian brain that illustrate the spatial oversampling potential of closely packed electrode sites.