Progress in transparent diamond microelectrode arrays

Diamond multi electrode arrays (MEAs) and ultra-micro electrode array (uMEA) fabricated from boron-doped nanocrystalline (BNCD) thin-films, show excellent performances when detecting cell activity in both amperometric and potentiometric applications. Furthermore they are suitable for delivering electrical stimulation to elicit bioelectric events. Results obtained with our previous 9-channels uMEA for single cells at high spatial resolution, and 16- channels MEA for multicellular samples, validated the signal quality of diamond MEAs in comparison with competing technologies. The latest progresses are reported in this paper were we describe a new generation of devices with enhanced performances: a 12-channel uMEA for recordings from a single cell at high spatial resolution, and a 64-channel MEA to accommodate larger multicellular samples. The technology is based on a 200 mm thin high-temperature glass with the same thermal expansion coefficient of silicon and a spin-on seeding method. Preliminary experiments show excellent electrodes activity and a strongly improved transparency