An Ultra Low-Power Low-Noise Neural Signal Acquisition Amplifier for ECoG Applications

Jin-Young Son; Hyouk-Kyu Cha

doi:10.23075/jicas.2023.9.4.009

Jin-Young Son Seoul National University of Science and Technology
Hyouk-Kyu Cha Seoul National University of Science and Technology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23075/jicas.2023.9.4.009

Keywords: neural recording amplifier, floating-body, gain-boosting, inverter-stacked OTA, ECoG

Abstract

An ultra low-power, low-noise neural recording amplifier for electrocorticography (ECoG) applications is presented. The proposed AC-coupled capacitive-feedback neural amplifier employing a gain-boosted inverter-stacked operational transconductance amplifier with floating-body technique achieves an enhanced input noise performance despite consuming limited power. The designed amplifier IC achieves a closed-loop gain of 40 dB, integrated input-referred noise of 6.3 μVrms within 520 Hz bandwidth while dissipating 15.5 nW of power at 1-V supply voltage. The IC is implemented using 65-nm CMOS process and occupies 0.051 mm² of die area.

Author Biographies

Jin-Young Son, Seoul National University of Science and Technology

Jin-Young Son received the B.S and M.S. degrees in electrical and information engineering from Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea, in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Since 2021, he has been with Qualitas Semiconductor, Seoul, Korea, as an analog IC design engineer. His research interest includes the design of ultra low-power sensor interface analog front-end and ADC IC for biomedical applications.

Hyouk-Kyu Cha, Seoul National University of Science and Technology

Hyouk-Kyu Cha received the B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea, in 2003 and 2009, respectively.
From 2009 to 2012, he was a Scientist with the Institute of Microelectronics, (IME), Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, where he was involved in the research and development of analog/RF ICs for biomedical applications.

Homepage : https://sites.google.com/site/icslweb