A low-power, low-noise CMOS amplifier for neural recording applications

There is a need among scientists and clinicians for low-noise, low-power biosignal amplifiers capable of amplifying signals in the mHz to kHz range while rejecting large dc offsets generated at the electrode-tissue interface. The advent of fully-implantable multielectrode arrays has created the need for fully-integrated micropower amplifiers. We designed and tested a novel bioamplifier that uses a MOS-bipolar pseudo-resistor to amplify signals down to the mHz range while rejecting large dc offsets. We derive the theoretical noise-power tradeoff limit - the noise efficiency factor - for this amplifier and demonstrate that our VLSI implementation approaches that limit. The resulting amplifier, built in a standard 1.5/spl mu/m CMOS process, passes signals from 0.1mHz to 7.2kHz with an input-referred noise of 2.2/spl mu/Vrms and a power dissipation of 80/spl mu/W while consuming 0.16mm/sup 2/ of chip area.

[1]  Willy Sansen,et al.  Micropower high-performance SC building block for integrated low-level signal processing , 1985 .

[2]  David A. Johns,et al.  Analog Integrated Circuit Design , 1996 .

[3]  W.M.C. Sansen,et al.  A micropower low-noise monolithic instrumentation amplifier for medical purposes , 1987 .

[4]  Y. Tsividis.  Operation and modeling of the MOS transistor , 1987 .

[5]  Yael Nemirovsky,et al.  1/f Noise in CMOS transistors for analog applications from subthreshold to saturation , 1998 .

[6]  Khalil Najafi,et al.  A low power fully integrated bandpass operational amplifier for biomedical neural recording applications , 2002, Proceedings of the Second Joint 24th Annual Conference and the Annual Fall Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society] [Engineering in Medicine and Biology.

[7]  M. Degrauwe,et al.  A Micropower CMOS-Instrumentation Amplifier , 1985, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[8]  J.D. Meindl,et al.  A monolithic signal processor for a neurophysiological telemetry system , 1985, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[9]  Wentai Liu,et al.  A multi channel chopper modulated neural recording system , 2001, 2001 Conference Proceedings of the 23rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

[10]  E. Vittoz,et al.  An analytical MOS transistor model valid in all regions of operation and dedicated to low-voltage and low-current applications , 1995 .

[11]  R. R. Harrison,et al.  A low-power low-noise CMOS amplifier for neural recording applications , 2003, IEEE J. Solid State Circuits.

[12]  K. S Guillory,et al.  A 100-channel system for real time detection and storage of extracellular spike waveforms , 1999, Journal of Neuroscience Methods.

[13]  E. Vittoz.  MOS transistors operated in the lateral bipolar mode and their application in CMOS technology , 1983, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[14]  Alan B. Grebene,et al.  Analog Integrated Circuit Design , 1978 .

[15]  Kensall D. Wise,et al.  Silicon neural recording arrays with on-chip electronics for in-vivo data acquisition , 2002, 2nd Annual International IEEE-EMBS Special Topic Conference on Microtechnologies in Medicine and Biology. Proceedings (Cat. No.02EX578).

[16]  T. Seese,et al.  Characterization of tissue morphology, angiogenesis, and temperature in the adaptive response of muscle tissue to chronic heating. , 1998, Laboratory investigation; a journal of technical methods and pathology.

[17]  Thomas H. Lee,et al.  The Design of CMOS Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuits: RF CIRCUITS THROUGH THE AGES , 2003 .

[18]  Carver Mead,et al.  Analog VLSI and neural systems , 1989 .

[19]  Carver A. Mead,et al.  Analog VLSI adaptive logarithmic wide-dynamic-range photoreceptor , 1994 .

[20]  Willy Sansen,et al.  Low-noise monolithic amplifier design: Bipolar versus CMOS , 1991 .

[21]  Craig T. Nordhausen,et al.  Single unit recording capabilities of a 100 microelectrode array , 1996, Brain Research.

[22]  K. Wise,et al.  An implantable multielectrode array with on-chip signal processing , 1986 .

[23]  L. L. Howard,et al.  Description and demonstration of a CMOS amplifier-based-system with measurement and stimulation capability for bioelectrical signal transduction. , 1998, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[24]  Khalil Najafi,et al.  A new dc baseline stabilization scheme for neural recording microprobes , 1999, Proceedings of the First Joint BMES/EMBS Conference. 1999 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology 21st Annual Conference and the 1999 Annual Fall Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society (Cat. N.

[25]  J. Brant Arseneau,et al.  VLSI and neural systems , 1990 .

[26]  Clifford D. Ferris,et al.  Introduction to Bioinstrumentation , 1978 .

[27]  K. Wise,et al.  A three-dimensional microelectrode array for chronic neural recording , 1994, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[28]  Rui Escadas Martins,et al.  A CMOS IC for portable EEG acquisition systems , 1998, IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas..

[29]  J. Fellrath,et al.  CMOS analog integrated circuits based on weak inversion operations , 1977 .

[30]  K. Wise,et al.  An implantable CMOS circuit interface for multiplexed microelectrode recording arrays , 1992 .