Intracortical neural interfaces (INI) have made impressive progress in recent years but still display questionable long-term reliability. Here, we report on the development and characterization of highly resilient monolithic silicon carbide (SiC) neural devices. SiC is a physically robust, biocompatible, and chemically inert semiconductor. The device support was micromachined from p-type SiC with conductors created from n-type SiC, simultaneously providing electrical isolation through the resulting p-n junction. Electrodes possessed geometric surface area (GSA) varying from 496 to 500 K μm2. Electrical characterization showed high-performance p-n diode behavior, with typical turn-on voltages of ~2.3 V and reverse bias leakage below 1 nArms. Current leakage between adjacent electrodes was ~7.5 nArms over a voltage range of −50 V to 50 V. The devices interacted electrochemically with a purely capacitive relationship at frequencies less than 10 kHz. Electrode impedance ranged from 675 ± 130 kΩ (GSA = 496 µm2) to 46.5 ± 4.80 kΩ (GSA = 500 K µm2). Since the all-SiC devices rely on the integration of only robust and highly compatible SiC material, they offer a promising solution to probe delamination and biological rejection associated with the use of multiple materials used in many current INI devices.

The intracortical neural interface (INI) is a key component of brain machine interfaces (BMI) which offer the possibility to restore functions lost by patients due to severe trauma to the central or peripheral nervous system. Unfortunately today’s neural electrodes suffer from a variety of design flaws, mainly the use of non-biocompatible materials based on Si or W with polymer coatings to mask the underlying material. Silicon carbide (SiC) is a semiconductor that has been proven to be highly biocompatible, and this chemically inert, physically robust material system may provide the longevity and reliability needed for the INI community. The design, fabrication, and preliminary testing of a prototype all-SiC planar microelectrode array based on 4H-SiC with an amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) insulator is described. The fabrication of the planar microelectrode was performed utilizing a series of conventional micromachining steps. Preliminary data is presented which shows a proof of concept for an all-SiC microelectrode device.

Carbon containing materials, such as graphene, carbon-nanotubes (CNT), and graphene oxide, have gained prominence as possible electrodes in implantable neural interfaces due to their excellent conductive properties. While carbon is a promising electrochemical interface, many fabrication processes are difficult to perform, leading to issues with large scale device production and overall repeatability. Here we demonstrate that carbon electrodes and traces constructed from pyrolyzed-photoresist-film (PPF) when combined with amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) insulation could be fabricated with repeatable processes which use tools easily available in most semiconductor facilities. Directly forming PPF on a-SiC simplified the fabrication process which eliminates noble metal evaporation/sputtering and lift-off processes on small features. PPF electrodes in oxygenated phosphate buffered solution at pH 7.4 demonstrated excellent electrochemical charge storage capacity (CSC) of 14.16 C/cm2, an impedance of 24.8 ± 0.4 kΩ, and phase angle of −35.9 ± 0.6° at 1 kHz with a 1.9 kµm2 recording site area.

The authors would like to indicate the following financial support they received to the Acknowledgement Section of their published paper [...]

The intracortical neural interface (INI) could be a key component of brain machine interfaces (BMI), devices which offer the possibility of restored physiological neurological functionality for patients suffering from severe trauma to the central or peripheral nervous system. Unfortunately the main components of the INI, microelectrodes, have not shown appropriate long-term reliability due to multiple biological, material, and mechanical issues. Silicon carbide (SiC) is a semiconductor that is completely chemically inert within the physiological environment and can be micromachined using the same methods as with Si microdevices. We are proposing that a SiC material system may provide the improved longevity and reliability for INI devices. The design, fabrication, and preliminary electrical and electrochemical testing of an all-SiC prototype microelectrode array based on 4H-SiC, with an amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) insulator, is described. The fabrication of the planar microelectrode was performed utilizing a series of conventional micromachining steps. Preliminary electrochemical data are presented which show that these prototype electrodes display suitable performance.