SiC-based integration technology of bio-electrical signals acquisition programme

Human information monitoring is an emerging field, it is envisaged to develop wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring equipment to diagnose patients with epilepsy, the EEG wearable wireless can greatly improve the patient's activities in space, and ultimately achieving family care through the Internet.

This wireless EEG systems already have, but how will their volume down to a patient an acceptable level or no small challenge. This article describes the use of IMEC's SiC technology, its development focus is on further narrow integrated EEG system volume and low-power technology, wireless communication technology and energy extraction technology integration in existing systems, increase a solar batteries and energy storage circuitry and additional tier so that you can constitute a completely separate collection of bio-electrical signals.

Wireless biometric electronic communication systems will greatly enhance people's quality of life.

To realize this ideal, developed by the small smart sensor nodes of the body area networks (body-area networks, BAN). Sensor nodes are used to gather important information about the human body, the information is then sent to a central intelligent nodes, then from this intelligent node through wireless communication method will send the information to the base station. Based 3-D stacked (System-in-a-cube, SiC) integrated technology can be designed to achieve these sensor nodes.

Used to constitute the body area network of small, low-power sensor/actuator node must have enough computing power and wireless communication capabilities, and antenna integrated into account.

Each node's intelligent degree must be able to enable it to complete the tasks assigned to it, such as data storage and promotion algorithm implementation, even complete complex non-linear data analysis. In addition, they should be worn on the body of other sensor node or central node communication. While the central node through such as WLAN or cellular telephone network such as the standard means of telecommunication and external communication. Such a BAN can provide services for individuals, including chronic disease surveillance, medical diagnosis, family care, biometric, and sports and health tracking.

IMEC company recently won a technology breakthrough, developed a volume only 1cm3 small 3-d stacked SiC system.

The first 3-D stacked prototype includes a commercial 8 millions of instructions per second, low-power microcontroller, a 2.4GHz wireless transceivers, several Crystal and other necessary passive devices, there is a design by the user matches the network of Monopole antennas. Of these, micro-controllers and wireless transceivers are the most advanced energy saving technologies. And system integration through something called "3-D stacked" technology, will feature different layers stacked along the z axis. Each PassThru double row ball and o-micro focus layer connection.

This versatile tiered technology can implement any combination of a module.

This low power consumption 3-D SiC system can be used for a variety of wireless products, information from the human body (brain activity, muscle activity and heartbeat), monitoring of environmental data (temperature, pressure and humidity) monitoring, ultimately used to constitute the BAN. Thanks to its unique stacking features that even the ability to move a specific sensor integrated into a separate layer, constitute a special cubic sensor module.

Development of SiC is IMEC company Human part of the c++ project, expected to multiple similar SiC sensor node together constitute a BAN.

Human + + plan combines wireless communications technology, packaging technology, energy extraction technology and low power consumption design technology, the aim is to develop people to improve the quality of life.

The success of the implementation of this BAN, depends on our ability to existing devices the degree of expansion.

Therefore, you first need to wipe out the medical and technical several obstacles. First, now use depend on battery-powered equipment life limited, required to extend its service life. Second, it should also be magnified sensor and actuator interaction to accommodate multiple physiological parameters such as the new application's needs. Third, the device should have some smart, capable of storing, processing and transmission of data. In addition, you must extend the functionality of the device to enable it to carry out the measurement of chemical and biological. Finally, the phenomenon of medicine also should have a thorough understanding.

Figure 1: an IMEC's technology Outlook 2010.

A wealth of experience and proprietary technology makes IMEC in multiple technology areas made new breakthroughs, such as responding to the challenge of creating opportunities.

Semiconductor technology scaling of the birth of the smaller size and lower power consumption electronic devices, enabling development of more powerful treatment and diagnosis devices possible.

With micro-system technology, especially micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology development, both electronic and mechanical characteristics of the devices produced.

MEMS technology is the first application is used to develop a system for independent medical supply of energy, such as thermal energy into electrical energy based conversion of energy extraction, designed to take advantage of the thermal energy produced micro. This energy source is interrupted, the system will remain working, but life is almost infinite. But the question is how to prove that this kind of devices can be extracted from the body with sufficient energy (i.e. at least 100 MW) to support the future operation of the system. MEMS technology is another possible scenario is for sensor and actuator systems, these systems are used to provide and the outside world and its surrounding mixed signal circuit interface. Finally, using MEMS technology can also be developed for ultra low power (ULP) RF transceiver in the new component (for example resonator). ULP radio device can be used in the sensor nodes and wearable Center for communication between nodes, the average power consumption of 50 μ W.

Due to the use of new packaging technologies, a large number of different kinds of complex systems (for example, the fluid bio-sensors, radio frequency transceiver, microprocessors and batteries) to be integrated into a very small devices, enabling mobile wireless medical devices dressed easier.

The nano-technology

Have to use small interconnecting devices, such as cells, antibodies, or DNA, the body's biological systems direct interactions possible. New biosensor and transplantation may use this technology.

If you are able to develop a low-power processor architecture, and will further increase the degree of intelligent sensor nodes, allowing the sensor itself can be more complex data processing.

This requires that we designed the ability to run the application of biology and medicine ULP processor architecture (private instruction-set processor architecture and data storage structure), today's bio-medical applications of General requirements in non-optimized processor can run per second on 2 million to 10 million times.

Finally, the adoption of a new design technology can effectively on the above application modeling, simulation and design.

Although human wear BAN this dream early in 2010 to become reality, but now there have been a number of related technology, one of the most famous is the biological study of the application in the field of electronics.

Bio-Electronics is an area that contains many new opportunities. Biological (or biochemical) response and electronic signal detection and amplification, creates new exciting biological electronic Diagnostics. Similarly, the use of neural networks and computer chips in the micro-level connection, and also develop pharmacological sensor, or even design used in medical and technology applications of neural power processor.

Human information monitoring is another emerging areas, such as wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring equipment to diagnose patients with epilepsy.

Using wearable wireless EEG can significantly improve patients ' activity, and ultimately achieving family care through the Internet. This wireless EEG systems already have, but how will their volume down to a patient an acceptable level or no small challenge.

IMEC's SiC technology used will be wireless EEG system integrated into a volume of only 1 cm3 of devices.

In this way, patients can wear very comfortable doing electroencephalogram EEG devices wirelessly. IMEC's future development focus is on further narrow integrated EEG system volume, and its low-power technology, wireless communication technology and the integration of energy extraction technology. In the existing system to increase a solar cell and energy storage circuitry and additional tier, maybe this would constitute a set of completely independent solution.