LOW-POWER BIOMEDICAL SIGNAL MONITORING SYSTEM FOR IMPLANTABLE SENSOR APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Implantable biomedical sensors and continuous real time in vivo monitoring of various physiological parameters requires low-power sensor electronics and wireless telemetry for transmission of sensor data. In this article, generic blocks required for such systems have been demonstrated with design examples. Ideally neural or electro-chemical sensor signal monitoring units comprise of low noise amplifiers, current or voltage mode analog to digital domain data conversion circuits and wireless telemetry circuits. The low-noise amplifier described here has a novel open loop amplifier scheme used for neural signal recording systems. The design has been implemented using 0.5-μm SOI-BiCMOS process. The fabricated chip can work with 1 V supply and consumes 805 nA. The current mode analog to digital conversion signal processing circuitry takes the current signal as an input and generates a pulse-width modulated data signal. The data signal is then modulated with a high frequency carrier signal to generate FSK data for wireless transmission. The design is fabricated in 0.5-μm standard CMOS process and consumes 1.1 mW of power with 3.5 V supply.