A wirelessly programmable chip for multi-channel neural stimulation

This paper presents an implantable inductively powered mix-signal chip for neural stimulation, which is implemented in 0.35-μm high-voltage CMOS process. It features 16 stimulating channels and a maximum stimulating rate of 15Kbps. The frequency, amplitude and width of stimulating pulses are all wirelessly programmable. Charge balance is guaranteed by a flexible switch array at the stimulating output stage. And to reduce power consumption, a dual-voltage-source scheme is adopted also at the stimulating output stage. Measurement results show that the proposed chip consumes less than 1mA at typical working conditions.