Collaborative Research: Novel Electronic-Photonic Silicon Carbide Probes for Neural Recording and Stimulation

大脑中复杂神经回路的动态功能调节我们的行为。在短时间和受限条件下监测神经回路并不能提供神经回路在自然行为下如何运作的完整图景。现有的设备被手术植入大脑，用于长期记录或刺激神经回路，通常会在一段时间后崩溃，并在很长一段时间内无法与神经元连接。在这个项目中，研究人员试图在碳化硅(碳化硅)材料平台上设计一种新型的神经探头，碳化硅材料平台是一种坚固的材料，已知可以承受恶劣条件。其目标是设计一种穿透性神经探头，可以在大脑的腐蚀性环境中持续很长时间，并能够对大脑中的神经活动进行电记录和光学刺激。通过将电子学、光子学和纳米技术与生物学和神经科学相结合，该项目为学生和研究人员提供了一个独特的培训机会，让他们学习如何从事一个连接不同科学分支和工程学的多学科项目。该项目将开发一种完全由碳化硅制造的新型穿透性神经探头技术，这是一种坚固可靠的材料，被证明在大脑中长期存在。这些神经探针将包括电记录功能和光学照明功能，以实现神经活动的同时电生理记录和光遗传刺激。这种新的神经接口将满足该领域的突出需求，包括(I)寿命和慢性生存能力，(Ii)高空间和时间分辨率记录，以及(Iii)局部靶向光传输。这种新型神经探针技术的设计建立在一系列创新的基础上，包括：(I)在碳化硅中微制造高密度电记录电极；(Ii)用于实现高密度探针的可重构光子开关组，具有极大的可扩展性；以及(Iii)用于整形组织中的光束的亚表面光学输出端口，以提供与脑组织的无缝全碳化硅接口，从而实现长期稳定的慢性神经接口。这项跨领域研究的结果将是一个新的技术平台，可以用来测试各种神经科学假说，这些假说是关于特定神经回路通过长期高通量神经记录和刺激在大脑中编码和转换信息的作用。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Dynamic functions of complex neural circuits in the brain mediate our behavior. Monitoring neural circuits over short periods of time and under constrained conditions will not provide a full picture of how neural circuits function under naturalistic behavior. Existing devices that are surgically implanted in the brain for long-term recording or stimulating neural circuits usually fall apart after a while and fail to interface with neurons for an extended period of time. In this project, the investigators seek to design a novel neural probe in the silicon carbide (SiC) material platform, which is a robust material, known to withstand harsh conditions. The goal is to design a penetrating neural probe that can last long in the corrosive environment of the brain and enable electrical recording as well as optical stimulation of neural activity in the brain. By combining electronics, photonics, and nanotechnology with biology and neuroscience, this project provides a unique training opportunity for students and researchers to learn how to work on a multidisciplinary project that bridges between different branches of science and engineering.This project will develop a novel penetrating neural probe technology entirely made in SiC, a robust and reliable material that is proven to remain viable in the brain over a long period of time. These neural probes will include electrical recording functionality and optical illumination functionality to enable simultaneous electrophysiology recording and optogenetic stimulation of neural activity. This novel neural interface will address outstanding needs in the field, including (i) longevity and chronic viability, (ii) high spatial and temporal resolution recording, and (iii) localized targeted light delivery. The design of this novel neural probe technology builds on a host of innovations including (i) microfabrication of high-density electrical recording electrodes in SiC, (ii) reconfigurable photonic switch banks for realization of high-density probes with great scalability; and (iii) metasurface optical output ports for shaping the beam of light in the tissue to provide a seamless all-SiC interface to the brain tissue that enables long-term stability for chronic neural interfacing. The outcome of this cross-field research will be a new technology platform that can be used to test various neuroscience hypotheses on the role of specific neural circuits in encoding and transforming information in brain through long-term high-throughput neural recording and stimulation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.