Silicon-substrate intracortical microelectrode arrays with integrated electronics for chronic cortical recording

Advances in BioMBMS have provided researchers with the capabilities to look at a myriad of things with more detail and precision than ever before, and the brain is no exception to this. The brain is becoming more accessible and controllable on almost every level; the challenge lies in increasing the quality of the interface with the brain. To address this challenge, we must begin by optimizing to the best of our capabilities the implantable devices used. One method to help optimize these devices is to integrate active electronics on the microelectrode that will enhance the quality of the signals being extracted from brain. This paper describes a chronic silicon-substrate microelectrode with integrated analog-front end electronics capable of recording from nearby neurons in active and passive modes of operation. Six-channel 2-D arrays have been chronically implanted into barrel cortex of two rats and have recorded chronic unit activity with SNRs up to 8:1.