Electronically Reconfigurable Microfabricated Tetrodes

描述(由申请人提供)：本提案寻求“神经技术研究、开发和增强”计划下的资金(R21)，以开发一种电子可重新配置的微制造四极管阵列。在这项拟议的研究中，我们将设计、制造和测试一种用于多神经元记录的具有多路复用能力的3D微细加工电子可重构四极管。每台四极管将由四个硅杆组成，每个硅杆有八个记录点。位于每个位置旁边的三晶体管模拟多路复用器允许单独选择每一个，从而减少引线的数量(对于八通道电极，减少到四个)。这将使最终创建具有数百个记录点的电极成为可能。作为概念验证，我们将从八通道电极开始。四个刀柄通过可折叠的聚酰亚胺链节连接到包含焊盘的硅后端。连接的聚酰亚胺链节在制造过程中仅部分固化，释放后完全固化可自动折叠成所需形状。制作了一个硅平台，可以容纳16个四极管组件，使得在任何时刻都可以同时记录。制造过程使用绝缘体上硅衬底。活性四极管将在清醒、行为正常的大鼠的海马区记录中进行活体测试。海马区细胞已经被很好地理解，并且已经用四极管进行了广泛的测试。这使得它们非常适合测试新技术。海马体有一个非常好理解的解剖结构，这将允许量化每个位置的记录位置。这使得它成为测试新记录技术的理想结构。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal seeks funding (R21) under the "Neurotechnology Research, Development, and Enhancement" program to develop an electronically reconfigurable microfabricated tetrode array. Under the proposed research, we will design, fabricate, and test a 3D microfabricated electronically reconfigurable tetrode with multiplexing capability for multi-neuronal recording. Each tetrode will consist of four silicon shanks each having eight recording sites. A three transistor analog multiplexer located next to each site allows each one to be individually selected thus reducing the number of leads (to four for an eight channel electrode). This will make possible the eventual creation of electrodes with hundreds of recording sites. We will start with an eight channel electrode as a proof-of-concept. The four shanks are attached to a silicon backend containing the bonding pads through foldable polyimide links. The connecting polyimide links are only partially cured during the fabrication process and their complete curing following the release results in automatic folding into the desired shape. A silicon platform is fabricated to house 16 tetrode assembly resulting in a total of 64 simultaneous recording at any moment. The fabrication process uses a silicon-on-insulator substrate. The active tetrode will be tested in vivo in hippocampal recordings from awake, behaving rats. Hippocampal place cells are well-understood and have been extensively tested with tetrode. This makes them well-suited to testing new technology. Hippocampus has a very well-understood anatomical structure which will allow quantification of the recording location of each site. This makes it an ideal structure with which to test new recording technology.