Diffusion-bonded electrodes for chronic neural stimulation

We report a novel method to fabricate chronic neural interfaces with the intent to combine the reliability and lifetime of bulk metal electrodes, with the miniaturization and mechanical flexibility of thin-film polymer microelectrode arrays. 10 μm thick platinum discs were laser cut from a foil into the shape of individual electrodes, and coated with gold on the backside. The discs were bonded to a microelectrode array with gold bond pads via gold-gold inter-diffusion using a flipchip bonder. Electrode bonding and adhesion was characterized using mechanical shear testing and electrical testing. Electrode performance was characterized in vitro using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Biphasic electrical pulsing experiments were conducted on the bonded electrodes to study degradation of the electrode; the preliminary results show that the electrodes can withstand at least 4,900 million pulses with no adverse electrochemical or visual degradation. Overall, this is a promising new method for fabricating chronic neural electrodes for stimulation or recording that combines the reliability of commercial bulk electrodes with the miniaturization and versatility of microfabricated technologies.