A Dual-Mode Neural Amplifier Array for Biopotential and FSCV-Based Neurochemical Measurements

The simultaneous measurement of biopotential and neurochemical signals provides a comprehensive view of the brain. Yet, most neural interfaces record solely biopotential or neurochemical activity. This work presents a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) analog front-end (AFE) chip that integrates 32 biopotential amplifiers and 32 neurochemical amplifiers for parallel recording from 64 electrodes. The biopotential amplifier is a two-stage design providing a gain of 57.1 dB, a bandwidth of 0.4 Hz–6.2 kHz, and 6.7 µVRMS input-referred noise (20 kHz sampling rate). The neurochemical amplifier is a rail-to-rail folded-cascode operational amplifier with selectable transimpedance gain (91.9 kΩ to 851.9 kΩ), a dynamic range of ±15 μA to ±2 μA, respectively, a bandwidth of 12.6 kHz, and input-referred noise as low as 46.3 pARMS (20 kHz sampling rate). The neurochemical amplifiers are designed for fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) measurements. I/O complexity is minimized using a time-division multiplexing scheme for readout, enabling straightforward scalability. The chip is fabricated using a 0.35-µm CMOS process and occupies a 3.0 × 8.3 mm2 area. In vitro recordings of catecholamines and neural spikes validate the chip’s function. The chip enables scalable, low-noise, bimodal neural recording, supporting investigations into the dynamics between neuronal biopotential activity and neurochemical signaling.