Development of low-power analog/RF mixed-signal circuits with flexible thin film devices for wireless BMI systems

To implement a true wirelessly connected brain-machine interface (BMI) system, we have to consider two main aspects: circuit design and device fabrication. The circuit should be designed so as to implement many functionalities including neural recording/stimulation and wireless connection with ultralow-power operation. The fabricated devices are passive elements such as a nano/micro electrode array and RF antenna devices with good biocompatibility. These aspects should be not be considered independently, but be done together from the viewpoint of the device assembly. This paper introduces a method to develop fully implantable devices with high-performance Si CMOS LSIs and many functionalities by employing flexible device technology.