Neural probes

Our expertise

Imec designs and fabricates groundbreaking neural probes that simultaneously record multiple brain regions at neuronal resolution. These probes enable a precise, real-time recording of the activity of hundreds of individual neurons in parallel. They are minimally invasive and biocompatible, enabling long-term measurements. Our probes can be used for R&D into treating neurological and motor disorders.

Read the 2022 press release about imec’s new direct-digitization readout design that enables small, low-noise, low-power neural interfaces.

Key benefits

• Extremely high-density: up to 960 sensors and 384 recording channels integrated on a superthin (20µm) shank that is 1cm long and 70µm wide,
• Minimally invasive: minimal footprint, biocompatible, enabling long-term measurements,
• Photonic and microfluidic additions can be made to the probe,
• Stimulate, detect, process and interpret neural data at cellular level and
• High-quality signals: amplification on chip to enable low-noise measurements

Neuropixels

The Neuropixels neural probe is an advanced silicon CMOS digital integrated microsystem and a tool for neuroscience research. It was developed through a collaboration funded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Wellcome Trust, Gatsby Charitable Foundation and Allen Institute for Brain Science. Probes were designed, developed and fabricated at imec, Leuven, Belgium in collaboration with HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Allen Institute for Brain Science and University College London.

Read this announcement of the Neuropixels 2.0 probes, which will be about a third the size of their predecessors, will be able to record the electrical activity from more individual neurons and will have the unique ability to track this activity over extended time periods.

Go to the website