Design considerations for a CMOS Lab-on-Chip microheater array to facilitate the in vitro thermal stimulation of neurons

Abstract

This paper identifies and addresses key design considerations and trade-offs in the implementation of a CMOS high-resolution microheater array for Lab-on-Chip (LOC) applications. Specifically, this is investigated in the context of facilitating the in vitro thermal stimulation of single neurons. The paper analyses the electro-thermal response (by means of COMSOL simulations) and reliability issues (such as melting and electromigration) of different microheater designs. The analysis shows that a small-area heater is more efficient in terms of power, but it has more reliability problems essentially due to electromigration effects. For the proposed heater designs, the expected lifetime is a few days (in continuous operation) in the worst scenario, which is still generally acceptable for LOC applications.