A Neural Probe With Up to 966 Electrodes and Up to 384 Configurable Channels in 0.13 μm SOI CMOS

In vivo recording of neural action-potential and local-field-potential signals requires the use of high-resolution penetrating probes. Several international initiatives to better understand the brain are driving technology efforts towards maximizing the number of recording sites while minimizing the neural probe dimensions. We designed and fabricated (0.13-mu m SOI Al CMOS) a 384-channel configurable neural probe for large-scale in vivo recording of neural signals. Up to 966 selectable active electrodes were integrated along an implantable shank (70 mu m wide, 10 mm long, 20 mu m thick), achieving a crosstalk of -64.4 dB. The probe base (5 x 9 mm(2)) implements dual-band recording and a 171.6 Mbps digital interface. Measurement results show a total input-referred noise of 6.4 mu V-rms and a total power consumption of 49.1 mu W/channel.