Abstract
The lifetime of neural interfaces is a critical challenge for chronic implantations, as therapeutic devices (e.g., neural prosthetics) will require decades of lifetime. We evaluated the lifetime of wireless Utah electrode array (UEA) based neural interfaces with a bilayer encapsulation scheme utilizing a combination of alumina deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) and parylene C. Wireless integrated neural interfaces (INIs), equipped with recording version 9 (INI-R9) ASIC chips, were used to monitor the encapsulation performance through radio-frequency (RF) power and telemetry. The wireless devices were encapsulated with 52 nm of ALD Al2O3 and 6 μm of parylene C, and tested by soaking in phosphate buffered solution (PBS) at 57 °C for 4× accelerated lifetime testing. The INIs were also powered continuously through 2.765 MHz inductive power and forward telemetry link at unregulated 5 V. The bilayer encapsulated INIs were fully functional for ∼35 days (140 days at 37 °C equivalent) with consistent power-up frequencies (∼910 MHz), stable RF signal (∼−75 dBm), and 100 % command reception rate. This is ∼10 times of equivalent lifetime of INIs with parylene-only encapsulation (13 days) under same power condition at 37 °C. The bilayer coated INIs without continuous powering lasted over 1860 equivalent days (still working) at 37 °C. Those results suggest that bias stress is a significant factor to accelerate the failure of the encapsulated devices. The INIs failed completely within 5 days of the initial frequency shift of RF signal at 57 °C, which implied that the RF frequency shift is an early indicator of encapsulation/device failure.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Fraunhofer IZM for the integration of the wireless devices. Funding of this research is provided by DARPA contract No: N66001-06-C-4056, DARPA Contract No. N66001-12-1-4026 (subcontract through George Mason University), and NIH contract No: 1R01NS064318-01A1. Sandeep Negi and Florian Solzbacher have financial interest in Blackrock microsystems, which develops and produces implantable neural interfaces. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.
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Xie, X., Rieth, L., Caldwell, R. et al. Effect of bias voltage and temperature on lifetime of wireless neural interfaces with Al2O3 and parylene bilayer encapsulation. Biomed Microdevices 17, 1 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-014-9904-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-014-9904-y