Fabrication of a flexible penetrating microelectrode array for use on curved surfaces of neural tissues

Conventionally, invasive neural microelectrodes for recording neuronal signals or stimulating the nervous system have been fabricated based on silicon substrate mainly due to well-established manufacturing processes. However, these silicon-based microelectrode devices have an issue of mechanical stability caused by the absence of flexibility when implanted onto curved surfaces of tissues. In this paper, a flexible and penetrating microelectrode array, a hybrid structure composed of silicon and elastomer, was devised and fabricated by bulk micromachining technologies. The structure uses individual silicon needles as independent electrodes in a square array and polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) as a base to support the needles. The dimensions of the electrode array and the needles are adjustable, depending on the number of needles, the pitch between the needles and the targeted penetration depth of the neural tissue. For mechanical characterization, the adhesion between PDMS and silicon was evaluated and the flexibility and integrity of the fabricated structure were investigated through flexural test and insertion test. Also, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the electrodes was measured. The results suggest that the proposed microelectrode array is promising for use in neuronal recording and stimulation over curved surfaces such as cortical surface and peripheral nerves with larger curvatures.