Abstract
Carbon containing materials, such as graphene, carbon-nanotubes (CNT), and graphene oxide, have gained prominence as possible electrodes in implantable neural interfaces due to their excellent conductive properties. While carbon is a promising electrochemical interface, many fabrication processes are difficult to perform, leading to issues with large scale device production and overall repeatability. Here we demonstrate that carbon electrodes and traces constructed from pyrolyzed-photoresist-film (PPF) when combined with amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) insulation could be fabricated with repeatable processes which use tools easily available in most semiconductor facilities. Directly forming PPF on a-SiC simplified the fabrication process which eliminates noble metal evaporation/sputtering and lift-off processes on small features. PPF electrodes in oxygenated phosphate buffered solution at pH 7.4 demonstrated excellent electrochemical charge storage capacity (CSC) of 14.16 C/cm2, an impedance of 24.8 ± 0.4 kΩ, and phase angle of −35.9 ± 0.6° at 1 kHz with a 1.9 kµm2 recording site area.
Highlights
Published: 13 July 2021A comprehensive understanding of electrical activity within the nervous system may significantly help scientists find therapeutic solutions for people possessing limited physical and mental functionality due to the effects of disease or trauma [1]
The amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) supported PPF neural probe was fabricated by the method describ above
Characterization measure the thickness of each layer of the device, cross-section scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used as show a-SiC supported
Summary
Published: 13 July 2021A comprehensive understanding of electrical activity within the nervous system may significantly help scientists find therapeutic solutions for people possessing limited physical and mental functionality due to the effects of disease or trauma [1]. Since the 1970s, silicon-based materials and noble metals (Pt, Au, etc.) have provided the backbone for the fabrication of microelectrode implantable neural probes (mINP), mainly due to the rapid development of advanced techniques within the semiconductor chip industry [2]. Most mINPs for human use have not been approved to date, mainly due to the observed variability in the long-term reliability of these devices [5]. The issues associated with overall mINP reliability have been attributed to a complex set of interactions involving both biotic and abiotic processes. The physiological neural environment, which possesses high concentrations of ionic and oxidative species, has been attributed to mINP device failure due to chemical interactions with the insulation material which manifests as physical swelling, cracking, film delamination, or physical corrosion [6,7].
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