A ±50-mV Linear-Input-Range VCO-Based Neural-Recording Front-End With Digital Nonlinearity Correction

Closed-loop neuromodulation is an essential function in future neural implants for delivering efficient and effective therapy. However, a closed-loop system requires the neural-recording front-end to handle large stimulation artifacts-a feature not supported by most state-of-the-art designs. In this paper, we present a neural-recording front-end that has an input range of ±50 mV and can be used in closed-loop systems. The proposed front-end avoids the saturation due to stimulation artifacts by employing a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) to directly convert the input signal into the frequency domain. The VCO nonlinearity is corrected using area-efficient foreground polynomial correction. Implemented in a 40-nm CMOS process, the design occupies 0.135 mm2 with an analog power of 3 μW and a digital switching power of 4 μW. It achieves ten times higher linear input range than prior art, and 79-dB spurious-free dynamic range at peak input, with an input-referred noise of 5.2 μVrms across the local-field-potential band of 1-200 Hz. With on-chip subhertz high-pass filters realized by duty-cycled resistors, the front-end also eliminates the need of off-chip dc-blocking capacitors.

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