Three-dimensional multichannel Si microprobe electrode array chip for analysis of the nervous system

This paper reports on a sensor chip device including a needle-like penetrating microprobe electrode array for simultaneous analysis of neurons in tissue. The probe array was fabricated on a Si substrate by selective epitaxial Si growth, is a few microns in diameter similar to the dimensions of the neurons with low invasiveness and low tissue damage. Using standard IC process followed by the probe growth, the probe array can be fabricated on IC signal processors improving the performance of the electrode chip. Neural signals were recorded from a carp retina with the Si microprobes.