Ta Steel Research Articles

Electrodes for Functional Neuralmuscular Stimulation

AbstractElectrodes for FNS were fabricated by photolithographic techniques from foils of Mo, Ta, and stainless steel with lateral dimensions of 1–3 mm and thickness of about 50 μm. More recent designs have utilized a Si carrier with either a Pt or diffused Si track terminated by Au electrodes. Biocompatibility studies conducted on frogs and rabbits indicate good stability of electrodes coated with SiO by plasma deposition. Carriers did not move after implantation and did not show signs of corrosion. The diffused Si design is now preferred since electrode tracks are sub-surface, tracks may be electrically and biologically insulated by SiO2, all fabrication steps are compatible with standard integrated circuit processing such that electronics may be integrated on the carrier with the electrode tracks, and small dimensions are easily attained.