Affiliation:
1. Microelectronics Lab (meLAB), James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
Abstract
Careful design and material selection are the most beneficial strategies to ensure successful implantation and mitigate the failure of a neural probe in the long term. In order to realize a fully flexible implantable system, the probe should be easily manipulated by neuroscientists, with the potential to bend up to 90°. This paper investigates the impact of material choice, probe geometry, and crucially, implantation angle on implantation success through finite-element method simulations in
COMSOL Multiphysics
followed by cleanroom microfabrication. The designs introduced in this paper were fabricated using two polyimides: (i) PI-2545 as a release layer and (ii) photodefinable HD-4110 as the probe substrate. Four different designs were microfabricated, and the implantation tests were compared between an agarose brain phantom and lamb brain samples. The probes were scanned in a 7 T PharmaScan MRI coil to investigate potential artefacts. From the simulation, a triangular base and 50 µm polymer thickness were identified as the optimum design, which produced a probe 57.7 µm thick when fabricated. The probes exhibit excellent flexibility, exemplified in three-point bending tests performed with a DAGE 4000Plus. Successful implantation is possible for a range of angles between 30° and 90°.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Advanced neurotechnologies: translating innovation for health and well-being’.
Funder
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
European Union's Horizon 2020 Hybrid Enhanced Regenerative Medicine Systems
MSCA-IF WiseCure Project
Subject
General Physics and Astronomy,General Engineering,General Mathematics
Cited by
7 articles.
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