Neuromorphic analogue VLSI

Neuromorphic systems emulate the organization and function of nervous systems. They are usually composed of analogue electronic circuits that are fabricated in the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) medium using very large-scale integration (VLSI) technology. However, these neuromorphic systems are not another kind of digital computer in which abstract neural networks are simulated symbolically in terms of their mathematical behavior. Instead, they directly embody, in the physics of their CMOS circuits, analogues of the physical processes that underlie the computations of neural systems. The significance of neuromorphic systems is that they offer a method of exploring neural computation in a medium whose physical behavior is analogous to that of biological nervous systems and that operates in real time irrespective of size. The implications of this approach are both scientific and practical. The study of neuromorphic systems provides a bridge between levels of understanding. For example, it provides a link between the physical processes of neurons and their computational significance. In addition, the synthesis of neuromorphic systems transposes our knowledge of neuroscience into practical devices that can interact directly with the real world in the same way that biological nervous systems do

Energy extraction from the biologic battery in the inner ear

Endocochlear potential (EP) is a battery-like electrochemical gradient found in and actively maintained by the inner ear [superscript 1, 2]. Here we demonstrate that the mammalian EP can be used as a power source for electronic devices. We achieved this by designing an anatomically sized, ultra-low quiescent-power energy harvester chip integrated with a wireless sensor capable of monitoring the EP itself. Although other forms of in vivo energy harvesting have been described in lower organisms [superscript 3, 4, 5], and thermoelectric [superscript 6], piezoelectric [superscript 7] and biofuel [superscript 8, 9] devices are promising for mammalian applications, there have been few, if any, in vivo demonstrations in the vicinity of the ear, eye and brain. In this work, the chip extracted a minimum of 1.12 nW from the EP of a guinea pig for up to 5 h, enabling a 2.4 GHz radio to transmit measurement of the EP every 40–360 s. With future optimization of electrode design, we envision using the biologic battery in the inner ear to power chemical and molecular sensors, or drug-delivery actuators for diagnosis and therapy of hearing loss and other disorders.Focus Center Research Program. Focus Center for Circuit & System Solutions. Semiconductor Research Corporation. Interconnect Focus CenterNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant K08 DC010419)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant T32 DC00038)Bertarelli Foundatio

Analysis and Design of RF Power and Data Link Using Amplitude Modulation of Class-E for a Novel Bone Conduction Implant

This paper presents analysis and design of a radio frequency power and data link for a novel Bone Conduction Implant (BCI) system. Patients with conductive and mixed hearing loss and single-sided deafness can be rehabilitated by bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA). Whereas the conventional hearing aids transmit sound to the tympanic membrane via air conduction, the BAHA transmits sound via vibrations through the skull directly to the cochlea. It uses a titanium screw that penetrates the skin and needs life-long daily care; it may cause skin infection and redness. The BCI is developed as an alternative to the percutaneous BAHA since it leaves the skin intact. The BCI comprises an external audio processor with a transmitter coil and an implanted unit called the bridging bone conductor with a receiver coil. Using amplitude modulation of the Class-E power amplifier that drives the inductive link, the sound signal is transmitted to the implant through the intact skin. It was found that the BCI can generate enough output force level for candidate patients. Maximum power output of the BCI was designed to occur at 5-mm skin thickness and the variability was within 1.5 dB for 1–8-mm skin thickness variations

Wiring Nanoscale Biosensors with Piezoelectric Nanomechanical Resonators

Nanoscale integrated circuits and sensors will require methods for unobtrusive interconnection with the macroscopic world to fully realize their potential. We report on a nanoelectromechanical system that may present a solution to the wiring problem by enabling information from multisite sensors to be multiplexed onto a single output line. The basis for this method is a mechanical Fourier transform mediated by piezoelectrically coupled nanoscale resonators. Our technique allows sensitive, linear, and real-time measurement of electrical potentials from conceivably any voltage-sensitive device. With this method, we demonstrate the direct transduction of neuronal action potentials from an extracellular microelectrode. This approach to wiring nanoscale devices could lead to minimally invasive implantable sensors with thousands of channels for in vivo neuronal recording, medical diagnostics, and electrochemical sensing

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationIn Chapter 1, an introduction to basic principles or MRI is given, including the physical principles, basic pulse sequences, and basic hardware. Following the introduction, five different published and yet unpublished papers for improving the utility of MRI are shown. Chapter 2 discusses a small rodent imaging system that was developed for a clinical 3 T MRI scanner. The system integrated specialized radiofrequency (RF) coils with an insertable gradient, enabling 100 'm isotropic resolution imaging of the guinea pig cochlea in vivo, doubling the body gradient strength, slew rate, and contrast-to-noise ratio, and resulting in twice the signal-to-noise (SNR) when compared to the smallest conforming birdcage. Chapter 3 discusses a system using BOLD MRI to measure T2* and invasive fiberoptic probes to measure renal oxygenation (pO2). The significance of this experiment is that it demonstrated previously unknown physiological effects on pO2, such as breath-holds that had an immediate (<1 sec) pO2 decrease (~6 mmHg), and bladder pressure that had pO2 increases (~6 mmHg). Chapter 4 determined the correlation between indicators of renal health and renal fat content. The R2 correlation between renal fat content and eGFR, serum cystatin C, urine protein, and BMI was less than 0.03, with a sample size of ~100 subjects, suggesting that renal fat content will not be a useful indicator of renal health. Chapter 5 is a hardware and pulse sequence technique for acquiring multinuclear 1H and 23Na data within the same pulse sequence. Our system demonstrated a very simple, inexpensive solution to SMI and acquired both nuclei on two 23Na channels using external modifications, and is the first demonstration of radially acquired SMI. Chapter 6 discusses a composite sodium and proton breast array that demonstrated a 2-5x improvement in sodium SNR and similar proton SNR when compared to a large coil with a linear sodium and linear proton channel. This coil is unique in that sodium receive loops are typically built with at least twice the diameter so that they do not have similar SNR increases. The final chapter summarizes the previous chapters

Programmable low-voltage continuous-time filter for audio applications

The implementation of a continuous-time filter (CTF) useful for audio frequency applications is presented in this paper. The filter functions can be programmed and tuned with two independent control variables. The filter here proposed has been designed to work at 1.5 V of power supply and at a maximum of 0.5 /spl mu/A/OTA for the worst case current consumption. Electrical simulations of a Tow-Thomas biquad (TTB) show the possibility of obtaining low-pass and band-pass filter functions over the 10 Hz-40 kHz frequency range by changing a control current over four decades.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología TIC-97-064

Power Amplifiers for Electronic Bio-Implants

Healthcare systems face continual challenges in meeting their aims to provide quality care to their citizens within tight budgets. Ageing populations in the developed world are perhaps one of the greatest concerns in providing quality healthcare in the future. The median age of citizens in economically developed regions is set to approach 40 years by the year 2050, and reach as high as 55 years in Japan. This trend is likely to lead to strained economies caused by less revenue raised by smaller workforces. Another effect of ageing populations is the need of further care in order to remain healthy. This care varies from frequent check-ups to condition monitoring, compensation for organ malfunction and serious surgical operations. As a result of these trends, healthcare systems will face the task of servicing more people with more serious and expensive health services, all using less available funds. Effort is being focused on running cheaper and more effective healthcare systems and the development of technology to assist in this process is a natural research priority

Table of Contents

Contains the table of contents