Topic: ultra-long implantable shank

Neural probes made of flexible and soft materials typically have a limited shank length, restricting access to deeper brain areas. In this study, we developed single-shank polyimide-based neural probes with an ultra-long implantable shank, enabling penetration depths of several centimeters. The probes are composed of multiple components assembled using gold-gold thermocompression bonding after wafer-level fabrication, with the assembled devices exceeding a length of 300 mm. The tapered shank is approximately 200 µm wide, 15 µm thick and contains 32 linearly placed iridium-oxide microelectrodes