Cited by 89Neuroscience and Neural EngineeringAnalog and Mixed-Signal Circuit DesignAdvanced MEMS and NEMS Technologies

Amorphous silicon carbide ultramicroelectrode arrays for neural stimulation and recording

Open access
Deku, Felix, Cohen, Yarden, Joshi-Imre, Alexandra, Kanneganti, Aswini, Gardner, Timothy J, Cogan, Stuart F·2018·Journal of Neural Engineering

Abstract

Objective . Foreign body response to indwelling cortical microelectrodes limits the reliability of neural stimulation and recording, particularly for extended chronic applications in behaving animals. The extent to which this response compromises the chronic stability of neural devices depends on many factors including the materials used in the electrode construction, the size, and geometry of the indwelling structure. Here, we report on the development of microelectrode arrays (MEAs) based on amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC). Approach . This technology utilizes a-SiC for its chronic stability and employs semiconductor manufacturing processes to create MEAs with small shank dimensions. The a-SiC films were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and patterned by thin-film photolithographic techniques. To improve stimulation and recording capabilities with small contact areas, we investigated low impedance coatings on the electrode sites. The assembled devices were characterized in phosphate buffered saline for their electrochemical properties. Main results . MEAs utilizing a-SiC as both the primary structural element and encapsulation were fabricated successfully. These a-SiC MEAs had 16 penetrating shanks. Each shank has a cross-sectional area less than 60 µ m 2 and electrode sites with a geometric surface area varying from 20 to 200 µ m 2 . Electrode coatings of TiN and SIROF reduced 1 kHz electrode impedance to less than 100 kΩ from ~2.8 MΩ for 100 µ m 2 Au electrode sites and increased the charge injection capacities to values greater than 3 mC cm −2 . Finally, we demonstrated functionality by recording neural activity from basal ganglia nucleus of Zebra Finches and motor cortex of rat. Significance . The a-SiC MEAs provide a significant advancement in the development of microelectrodes that over the years has relied on silicon platforms for device manufacture. These flexible a-SiC MEAs have the potential for decreased tissue damage and reduced foreign body response. The technique is promising and has potential for clinical translation and large scale manufacturing.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1088/1741-2552/aa8f8b

Cites

77 of 77 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Electrocorticography and micro-electrocorticography have enabled high-resolution temporal and spatial recordings useful in vivo, including for brain-computer interfaces.

    “In practice, however, electrocorticography (ECoG) and microelectrocorticography (µECoG) have facilitated high temporal-and spatial-resolution recordings for effective use in in vivo applications 56,64,65 , including brain-computer interfaces.”

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Deku, F., Cohen, Y., Joshi-Imre, A., Kanneganti, A., Gardner, T. J., & Cogan, S. F.
Affiliations
  • The University of Texas at Dallas (US)
  • Boston University (US)
  • University of Texas at Dallas
Corresponding author
Cogan, Stuart F
Venue
Journal of Neural Engineering
Published
2018-01-08
Volume
15
Issue
1
Pages
016007
ISSN
  • 1741-2552 (ISSN-L)
  • 1741-2560
OpenAlex
W2758700888
Cited by
89
References
77
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 10
FWCI
3.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neural Engineering (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
NIH (U01NS090454)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Analog and Mixed-Signal Circuit Design
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Advanced MEMS and NEMS Technologies
Keywords
amorphous silicon carbide, microelectrode arrays, neurostimulation, neural recording, foreign body reaction, electrode impedance, TiN coating, charge injection capacity, zebra finch, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition
MeSH terms
Animals, Basal Ganglia, Electric Stimulation, Electrodes, Implanted, Microelectrodes, Motor Cortex, Carbon Compounds, Inorganic, Silicon Compounds, Coated Materials, Biocompatible, Finches, Rats

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review