An Energy-Efficient Wirelessly Powered Millimeter-Scale Neurostimulator Implant Based on Systematic Codesign of an Inductive Loop Antenna and a Custom Rectifier

Hongming Lyu, Jigong Wang, Jun Ho La, Jin Mo Chung, Aydin Babakhani

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Scopus citations

Abstract

—In this work, a switched-capacitor-based stimulator circuit that enables efficient energy harvesting for neurostimulation applications is presented, followed by the discussion on the optimization of the inductive coupling front-end through a code-sign approach. The stimulator salvages input energy and stores it in a storage capacitor, and, when the voltage reaches a threshold, releases the energy as an output stimulus. The dynamics of the circuit are automatically enabled by a positive feedback, eliminating any stimulation control circuit blocks. The IC is fabricated in a 180 nm CMOS process and achieves a quiescent current consumption of 1.8 µA. The inductive coupling front-end is optimized as a loaded resonator, in which the input impedance of the custom rectifier directly loads the inductive loop antenna. The loaded quality factor and the rectifier’s efficiency determine the reception sensitivity of the stimulator, while a balance should be achieved for the robustness of the system against dielectric medium variations by increasing the reception bandwidth. The finalized stimulator adopts a 4.9 mm × 4.9 mm inductive loop antenna and achieves an overall assembly dimension of 5 mm × 7.5 mm. Operating at the resonant frequency of 198 MHz, the stimulator works at a 14 cm distance from the transmitter in the air. An animal experiment was performed, in which a fully implanted stimulator excited the sciatic nerve of a rat that consequently triggered the movement of the limb.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1131-1143
Number of pages13
JournalIEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems
Volume12
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2018

Keywords

  • Biomedical implant
  • energy harvesting
  • inductive coupling
  • neurostimulation
  • rectifier
  • switched-capacitor based stimulation
  • wireless power transfer

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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