Towards a Chip-in-Foil Implant for Neural Applications

Demands on neural interfaces in terms of functionality, high spatial resolution, and longevity have recently increased. These requirements can be met with sophisticated silicon-based integrated circuits. Embedding miniaturized dice in flexible polymer substrates significantly improves the adaptation to the mechanical environment in the body and thus the systems’ structural biocompatibility as well as the ability to cover larger areas of the brain. This work addresses main challenges in developing a hybrid chip-in-foil neural implant. Assessments were related to: first, the mechanical compliance to the recipient tissue that allows a long-term application, and second, the suitable design that allows the implant’s scaling and modular adaptation of chip arrangement.

This thesis’ results and the developed technology platform pave the way for next-generation devices that allow rapid adaptation to a wide range of anatomical con-straints and can be of great use in preclinical studies of the long-term use of hybrid implants.