Description
Flexible microelectrode arrays (MEA’s) have been in existence since early 1950 and have been widely investigated for its potential solutions for treatment of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders. Innovative designs for open-architecture and glassy carbon electrodes were designed on a platform called Coventorware. The research is focused on fabrication and mechanical characterization of polymer-based MEA for neural applications. TA Instruments Q800 dynamic mechanical analyzer is used for the rheological, thermal and multi-frequency characterization of the device. Thin traces interconnect electrode sites to bump pads region where an external PCB is mounted. The traces are insulated on both the sides by spin coating a photosensitive polymer HD4100. During the process of fabrication, the Polyimide layers undergo multiple curing cycles during which there is a substantial change in mechanical properties of the device. The device is tested to determine stiffness, yield strength and the load bearing capacity of the device. Glassy transition temperature of the micro-composite structure was determined through temperature- ramp protocols. A set of multi-frequency studies were also conducted to establish a relation between applied frequency and stiffness of device. Finally, an analytical model was designed and simulated on COMSOL to correlate theoretical results with experimental results. This research will provide the basis for long term studies on favorable material properties for stable neural implants.