A 330μm×90μm opto-electronically integrated wireless system-on-chip for recording of neural activities

Recording neural activity in live animals in vivo poses several challenges. Electrical techniques typically require electrodes to be tethered to the outside world directly via a wire, or indirectly via an RF Coil [1], which is much larger than the electrodes themselves. Tethered implants result in residual motion between neurons and electrodes as the brain moves, and limits our ability to measure from peripheral nerves in moving animals, especially in smaller organisms such as zebra fish or fruit flies. On the other hand, optical techniques, which are becoming increasingly powerful, are nonetheless often limited to subsets of neurons in any given organism, impeded by scattering of the excitation light and emitted fluorescence, and limited to low temporal resolution [2]. Here we present the electronics for an untethered electrode unit, powered by, and communicating through a microscale optical interface, combining many benefits of optical techniques with high temporal-resolution recording of electrical signals.