Toward 1000-ch electrode array based on distributed microchip architecture for retinal prosthesis

A smart stimulator for retinal prosthesis that is biocompatible and fully compatible with a standard LSI structure was developed towards the goal of 1000-ch electrodes. Our stimulator is based on multi-microchip architecture and offers mechanical flexibility as a result of the distributed architecture used for the micro-sized LSI chips, which are small enough that the array can be bent. The device should allow tight fitting to the eyeball and thus effective stimulation of retinal cells. In addition, our stimulator can reduce the number of electrical connections required between electrodes; inter-chip communication circuits incorporated in the micro-sized LSI chip help to reduce electrical wiring between the micro-nodes. Toward a 1000-ch electrode, we have improved the smart distributed microchip-based stimulator