MSc thesis project proposal

[2020] Compact Neural Amplifier for Next-Generation Brain-Machine Interfaces. [Already taken]

Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) of the future will be used to treat diverse neurological disorders and augment human capabilities. To realize this futuristic promise, next-generation neural interfaces will need higher resolution and channel count to achieve single-cell specificity when communicating with the nervous system. Both resolution and channel count come at the cost of power and area consumption, resources heavily limited in implantable devices.

 

To achieve single-cell resolution, the channel pitch should match the cell pitch of the area of the nervous system they are targeting, which can be as small as tens of μm. To maximize the number of channels in the implantable device, all the electronics for the readout should be implemented inside the pixel (pixel-matched architecture). This poses a major challenge for the design of the analog-front end in terms of area consumption, as well as power consumption (limited by the power density allowed on implanted devices).

Assignment

The idea is to study a compact low-power neural amplifier for recording action potentials in pixel-matched neural interfaces. The design will be implemented in CMOS technology and verified with post-layout simulations.

Requirements

MSc EE-ME student.

 

You should be comfortable with analog IC design and the Cadence analog environment. Curiosity, hard work, and creativity are always needed. If you are interested, contact Dr. Dante Muratore via email with a motivation letter and attached CV (with taken courses and grades).

Contact

dr. Dante Muratore

Bioelectronics Group

Department of Microelectronics

Last modified: 2022-05-09