CMOS Integrated Circuits and Systems for High-Density Microelectrode Array Readout

Abstract

Cardiac arrhythmia remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet current diagnostic and research tools lack the spatial and temporal resolution necessary to fully characterize the underlying electrical mechanisms. This dissertation presents a suite of high density microelectrode array (MEA) technologies and CMOS integrated circuits and systems that enable high resolution electrophysiological investigation in both in vivo and in vitro settings. Three MEA systems are developed for cardiac interfaces, spanning the whole heart, through living myocardial slices, and down to single cell resolution, while integrating multichannel biopotential acquisition, impedance and capacitance spectroscopy, and electrical stimulation. Collectively, these MEA systems advance the capabilities of cardiac and neural electrophysiology by providing high density, multifunctional platforms suitable for diagnostics, drug screening, and disease modeling.