Studies of Parylene/Silicone-Coated Soft Bio-Implantable Optoelectronic Device

Abstract

Optogenetics is a new neuroscience technology, consisting of biological technology that activates a nerve by light and engineering technology that transmits light to the nerve. In order to transmit light to the target nerve, fiber optics or light-emitting devices have been inserted into the living body, while the motions or emotions of freely moving animals can be controlled using a wirelessly operated optoelectronic device. However, in order to keep optoelectronic devices small in size and operational for a long time in vivo, the need for a thin but robust protective layer has emerged. In this paper, we developed a protective layer, consisting of Parylene and silicone that can protect soft optoelectronic devices inside saline solution for a long time. A chemical vapor deposited Parylene C film between the polydimethylsiloxane layers showed promising optical, mechanical, and water-barrier properties. We expect that these protective layers can be used as an encapsulation film on bio-implantable devices, including wireless optogenetic applications.