ANODIC-BONDING-ASSISTED SILICON MICROELECTRODE ARRAY FOR NEURAL APPLICATIONS

To reduce the manufacturing difficulty and improve the functional expansibility of the silicon-based microelectrode array (Si-MEA), this paper reports a simple and time-saving MEMS fabrication process using silicon-glass anodic bonding. Doped silicon and glass are used as electrodes and insulation materials between electrodes respectively. Experiments show that the microelectrode has a strong bonding force with the substrate. Besides, for the electrical insulation performance, the method of anodic bonding has distinct advantages over the glassing process used in the Utah electrode array (UEA). Benefiting from the bonding and through-glass-via (TGV) techniques, the array has the potential to achieve integrations such as electrical recording, electrical stimulation, optogenetics and drug delivery channels, and has the further advantage of integrating with integrated circuits.