Global digital controller for multi-channel micro-stimulator with 5-wire interface featuring on-the-fly power-supply modulation and tissue impedance monitoring

This paper reports a global digital controller for multi-channel high density micro-stimulator applications. By centralizing the essential functions including stimulation timing controls, tissue-electrode impedance (TEI) monitoring and power supply modulation in the global digital controller (GDC), digital blocks in the local electrode driver channels (LEDCs) can be greatly simplified, resulting in compact electrode drivers suitable for high density intracellular stimulations. Based on the proposed column-parallel row-scanning (CPRS) stimulator topology, the 5-wire global control ensures customized per channel stimulation with minimal interfacing overhead. A 4-column GDC stimulator prototype is fabricated in a 0.18 µm CMOS process. It features flexible stimulation with a power consumption of 18 µW/column while enabling global power-supply modulation and real-time TEI monitoring for improved stimulation efficiency and safety.