Implantable silicon neural probes with nanophotonic phased arrays for single-lobe beam steering

Abstract In brain activity mapping with optogenetics, patterned illumination is crucial for targeted neural stimulation. However, due to optical scattering in brain tissue, light-emitting implants are needed to bring patterned illumination to deep brain regions. A promising solution is silicon neura...

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Main Authors: Fu-Der Chen, Ankita Sharma, Tianyuan Xue, Youngho Jung, Alperen Govdeli, Jason C. C. Mak, Homeira Moradi Chameh, Mandana Movahed, Michael G. K. Brunk, Xianshu Luo, Hongyao Chua, Patrick Guo-Qiang Lo, Taufik A. Valiante, Wesley D. Sacher, Joyce K. S. Poon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-12-01
Series:Communications Engineering
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-024-00328-8
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author Fu-Der Chen
Ankita Sharma
Tianyuan Xue
Youngho Jung
Alperen Govdeli
Jason C. C. Mak
Homeira Moradi Chameh
Mandana Movahed
Michael G. K. Brunk
Xianshu Luo
Hongyao Chua
Patrick Guo-Qiang Lo
Taufik A. Valiante
Wesley D. Sacher
Joyce K. S. Poon
author_facet Fu-Der Chen
Ankita Sharma
Tianyuan Xue
Youngho Jung
Alperen Govdeli
Jason C. C. Mak
Homeira Moradi Chameh
Mandana Movahed
Michael G. K. Brunk
Xianshu Luo
Hongyao Chua
Patrick Guo-Qiang Lo
Taufik A. Valiante
Wesley D. Sacher
Joyce K. S. Poon
author_sort Fu-Der Chen
collection DOAJ
description Abstract In brain activity mapping with optogenetics, patterned illumination is crucial for targeted neural stimulation. However, due to optical scattering in brain tissue, light-emitting implants are needed to bring patterned illumination to deep brain regions. A promising solution is silicon neural probes with integrated nanophotonic circuits that form tailored beam patterns without lenses. Here we propose neural probes with grating-based light emitters that generate a single steerable beam. The light emitters, optimized for blue or amber light, combine end-fire optical phased arrays with slab gratings to suppress higher-order sidelobes. In vivo experiments in mice demonstrated that the optical phased array provided sufficient power for optogenetic stimulation. While beam steering performance in tissue reveals challenges, including beam broadening from scattering and the need for a wider steering range, this proof-of-concept demonstration illustrates the design principles for realizing compact optical phased arrays capable of continuous single-beam scanning, laying the groundwork for advancing optical phased arrays toward targeted optogenetic stimulation.
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spelling doaj-art-408c2953b24f48139c8da9ddb64a96bd2025-08-20T02:39:40ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Engineering2731-33952024-12-013111210.1038/s44172-024-00328-8Implantable silicon neural probes with nanophotonic phased arrays for single-lobe beam steeringFu-Der Chen0Ankita Sharma1Tianyuan Xue2Youngho Jung3Alperen Govdeli4Jason C. C. Mak5Homeira Moradi Chameh6Mandana Movahed7Michael G. K. Brunk8Xianshu Luo9Hongyao Chua10Patrick Guo-Qiang Lo11Taufik A. Valiante12Wesley D. Sacher13Joyce K. S. Poon14Max Planck Institute of Microstructure PhysicsMax Planck Institute of Microstructure PhysicsMax Planck Institute of Microstructure PhysicsMax Planck Institute of Microstructure PhysicsMax Planck Institute of Microstructure PhysicsDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of TorontoKrembil Brain Institute, University Health NetworkKrembil Brain Institute, University Health NetworkMax Planck Institute of Microstructure PhysicsAdvanced Micro Foundry Pte. Ltd.Advanced Micro Foundry Pte. Ltd.Advanced Micro Foundry Pte. Ltd.Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of TorontoMax Planck Institute of Microstructure PhysicsMax Planck Institute of Microstructure PhysicsAbstract In brain activity mapping with optogenetics, patterned illumination is crucial for targeted neural stimulation. However, due to optical scattering in brain tissue, light-emitting implants are needed to bring patterned illumination to deep brain regions. A promising solution is silicon neural probes with integrated nanophotonic circuits that form tailored beam patterns without lenses. Here we propose neural probes with grating-based light emitters that generate a single steerable beam. The light emitters, optimized for blue or amber light, combine end-fire optical phased arrays with slab gratings to suppress higher-order sidelobes. In vivo experiments in mice demonstrated that the optical phased array provided sufficient power for optogenetic stimulation. While beam steering performance in tissue reveals challenges, including beam broadening from scattering and the need for a wider steering range, this proof-of-concept demonstration illustrates the design principles for realizing compact optical phased arrays capable of continuous single-beam scanning, laying the groundwork for advancing optical phased arrays toward targeted optogenetic stimulation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-024-00328-8
spellingShingle Fu-Der Chen
Ankita Sharma
Tianyuan Xue
Youngho Jung
Alperen Govdeli
Jason C. C. Mak
Homeira Moradi Chameh
Mandana Movahed
Michael G. K. Brunk
Xianshu Luo
Hongyao Chua
Patrick Guo-Qiang Lo
Taufik A. Valiante
Wesley D. Sacher
Joyce K. S. Poon
Implantable silicon neural probes with nanophotonic phased arrays for single-lobe beam steering
Communications Engineering
title Implantable silicon neural probes with nanophotonic phased arrays for single-lobe beam steering
title_full Implantable silicon neural probes with nanophotonic phased arrays for single-lobe beam steering
title_fullStr Implantable silicon neural probes with nanophotonic phased arrays for single-lobe beam steering
title_full_unstemmed Implantable silicon neural probes with nanophotonic phased arrays for single-lobe beam steering
title_short Implantable silicon neural probes with nanophotonic phased arrays for single-lobe beam steering
title_sort implantable silicon neural probes with nanophotonic phased arrays for single lobe beam steering
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-024-00328-8
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