Monolithic neuro-Stimulus chip for retinal implants

A prototype neuro-stimulus chip for retinal implants in blind patients affected by Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) or Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is presented in this paper. This retinal prosthetic chip was designed to replace the degenerated photoreceptor cells, and in order to stimulate directly the remaining healthy layers of retinal neurons. The current stimulus circuits are monolithic integrated with photodiodes (PD) array, which can convert the illumination on the eyes into 3-bit bi-phasic electrical pulses. In addition, a novel charge cancellation circuit is used to discharge the electrodes for medical safty. The prototype chip is designed and fabricated in HJTC 0.18 mum N-well CMOS 1P6M Mix-signal process, with a plusmn 2.5 V dual voltage power supply.