Softening Brain Probe
Penetrating cortical probes are fabricated with a shape memory polymer, which remain rigid in the air, like traditional silicon arrays, but become flexible and elastic after prolonged exposure to the brain. This should reduce immune response, and make for longer, better chronic recording.
These softening brain probes are fabricated on thiol-ene/acrylate shape memory polymer (SMP) substrates that are stiff at room temperature for surgical manipulation and insertion, but decrease in elastic modulus by one orders of magnitude at body temperature. This limits the foreign body response by significantly reducing the mechanical mismatch between the implant and brain tissue.
Device Specs
| Shank length | 3/5 mm | |
| Shank width | 0.29 mm | |
| Shank thickness | 45 ± 5 μm | |
| Electrode material | SIROF/Gold | |
| Electrode span | 1.5 mm | |
| Electrode pitch | 0.1 mm | |
| Shank tip width | 0.0646 mm | |
| First electrode distance from tip | 0.118 mm | |
| Electrode diameter & area | 15 μm/177 μm2 |
