Bioelectronics

Bioelectronics is a recent science and includes the close juxtaposition of biologically active molecules, cells, and tissues with conventional electronic systems.

Bioelectronics incorporates, e.g., the development of functional interfaces, which permit contiguity between cardiac or neural cells or tissue and conventional solid-state electronics and computing technology. The interfaces are, in most cases, noble-metal electrodes, or open-gate field-effect transistors (FETs).

Prospective fields of applications include, besides fundamental research, pharmascreening, neuro-electronic interfaces, or aural and visual prostheses.

Extracellular Electrical Recording via Electrodes

CMOS-based Microelectrode Arrays (MEAs)

Electroactive cells, such as heart cells and brain cells are directly interfaced with CMOS microelectronics. The cells are grown directly atop fully processed microelectronics chips carrying thousands of electrodes and featuring CMOS circuitry.

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Basic Research in Biology and Physiology of Electro-active Cells

MEAs represent a very useful tool to investigate, e.g., cardiac synchronization or neuronal network dynamics, since they enable the recording of the cellular electrical activity at high spatial and temporal resolution. The MEAs are bidirectional and can be used to only record electrical activity or to stimulate and subsequently record the elicited electrical activity.

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