Scalable high-density wireless neuroelectric sensor and stimulator array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9880148-B1
Application number	US-201715478129-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 3, 2017
Priority date	Mar 27, 2014
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A neuroelectric sensor and stimulator system includes a first antenna, a reader coupled to the first antenna for transmitting stimulation controls and power to a second antenna, and for receiving sensor data transmitted from the second antenna via the first antenna, and at least one neuroelectric sensor stimulator array including the second antenna, a rectifier coupled to the second antenna for extracting power transmitted from the first antenna, a controller coupled to the second antenna for decoding controls transmitted from the first antenna to the second antenna for the neuroelectric sensor stimulator array, a plurality of sensors, a multiplexer coupled to the controller and to the plurality of sensors for selecting a single sensor, and a plurality of stimulators coupled to the controller for stimulating neurons, wherein the rectifier, the controller, the plurality of sensors, the multiplexer, and the plurality of stimulators include graphene.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for fabricating a graphene-based neuroelectric sensor comprising:
providing a bio-compatible microbial cellulose (MBC) membrane on a handling wafer;
passivating the bio-compatible microbial cellulose (MBC membrane with an atomic layer deposition (ALD) of dielectric, or with a bio-compatible polymer;
transferring graphene over the passivated bio-compatible microbial cellulose (MBC) membrane;
patterning the transferred graphene;
etching the patterned graphene to form a graphene mesa structure;
forming ohmic contacts on the graphene mesa structure for source and drain electrodes; and
releasing the bio-compatible microbial cellulose (MBC membrane from the handling wafer.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising etching to remove the ALD dielectric or the bio-compatible polymer from a background nonactive area.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
forming a gate electrode integrated with a gate dielectric.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
forming electrical contacts for a multiplexer and for an electrical ground.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the handling wafer is Si or glass.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein etching the patterned graphene to form graphene mesa structures comprises oxygen plasma etching.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein forming ohmic contacts for source and drain electrodes comprises using a biocompatible Ti alloy.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein forming a gate electrode comprises using a biocompatible metal or a metal alloy.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein forming electrical contacts for a multiplexer and for an electrical ground comprises using a biocompatible metal or a metal alloy.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
passivating the source and drain electrodes with a biocompatible polymer.

11. The method of claim 3 further comprising:
passivating the gate electrode with a biocompatible polymer.

12. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
passivating the electrical contacts for the multiplexer and for the electrical ground with a biocompatible polymer.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphene is grown by chemical vapor deposition.

Assignees

• Hrl Lab Llc

Inventors

• Son Kyung-Ah
• Moon Jeong-Sun
• Xu Zhiwei A
• Limketkai Brian N
• Kang Jongchan
• Hussain Tahir

Classifications

• H10P50/00

  Etching of wafers, substrates or parts of devices · CPC title

• H10P14/3406

  Carbon, e.g. diamond-like carbon · CPC title

• H10P14/24

  using chemical vapour deposition [CVD] · CPC title

• H10D64/01364

  the semiconductor being diamond, semiconducting diamond-like carbon or graphene · CPC title

• C23C16/45525

  Atomic layer deposition [ALD] · CPC title