Invasive neural electrodes structure fabrication based on aluminum wafers

Abstract

Over the last two decades, many researchers have developed a variety of neural electrode types, taking full advantage of silicon microtechnologies. Silicon wafers became the raw structural material for the majority of the developed electrodes, and several techniques had to be studied and established in order to fabricate a feasible silicon-based neural probe. This paper shows an alternative raw material for the structure construction, the aluminum. With the same techniques used before (dicing and etching), it is possible to fabricate an array structure made from aluminum with 1.5 mm long needles, individually addressable. This structure presents a superior performance both mechanically and electrically, when compared to the silicon-based solutions. Furthermore, from the practical perspective, it ensures a more consistent fabrication procedure and a more competitive cost.