A mixed-signal IC for multiple cortical stimulation strategies

Author

Coulombe, J. ; Buffoni, L.X. ; Sawan, Mohamad

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. Eng., Ecole Polytech. de Montreal, Que., Canada

Volume

2

fYear

2002

fDate

4-7 Aug. 2002

Abstract

We present an integrated mixed-signal circuit dedicated for electrical stimulation. The chip has 4 channels using 4 electrodes each, to be connected directly on a square 16-electrode matrix. The circuit is designed for maximum flexibility and safety. It allows stimulation to be monopolar as well as bipolar, and uses a configurable communication protocol, reducing the transfer rate requirements according to the stimulation strategy used. Low power is achieved using dual-voltage supply. Finally, to ensure safe stimulation, characterization and troubleshooting after implantation of the chip, voltage monitoring of any of the 16 electrodes is possible using a rail-to-rail amplifier that can be shut-down for lowest power consumption. The circuit has been fabricated and tested in a CMOS 0.18 μm process.

Keywords

CMOS integrated circuits; biomedical electrodes; biomedical electronics; low-power electronics; mixed analogue-digital integrated circuits; neuromuscular stimulation; protocols; 0.18 micron; CMOS low-power circuit; communication protocol; dual-voltage supply; implantable electrode; mixed-signal integrated circuit; multiple cortical electrical stimulation; rail-to-rail amplifier; voltage monitoring; Circuit testing; Electrical stimulation; Electrodes; Energy consumption; Flexible printed circuits; Monitoring; Protocols; Rail to rail amplifiers; Safety; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Circuits and Systems, 2002. MWSCAS-2002. The 2002 45th Midwest Symposium on

Print_ISBN

0-7803-7523-8

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/MWSCAS.2002.1186845

Filename

1186845