Biomedical electronic devices for sensing physiological parameters are gaining popularity. With the miniaturization of electronics, wearable devices come equipped with sensors for vital sign monitoring such as ECG, heart rate, body temperature, sleep pattern, etc. However, the sensing capability of wearable devices is limited to parameters accessible outside the body. Biomedical devices placed directly inside the body are more helpful and promising in monitoring physiological parameters. These devices can also help treat disorders and restore the functionality of damaged organs.
The primary challenge associated with in-body devices is limited physical access. For proper operation, the device must be programmable, able to transmit signals, and powered appropriately. Battery-powered devices are unattractive due to their larger overall size, bio-incompatibility issues, and the need for frequent surgeries for battery replacement and charging.
A capacitive wireless power and data transfer receiver IC is fabricated in a 65nm CMOS process, occupying an active die area of 0.183 mm^2. The wireless power receiver chip is tested ex-vivo with 3mm chicken breast to verify end-to-end functionality at 13.56MHz. An active rectifier and a low-power analog-assisted digital voltage regulator are designed, along with a CMOS-only voltage reference with a minimum power supply voltage of 0.9V and consumes 0.5μW. This is the first integrated power management solution for CWPT links, which can be crucial in developing wireless biomedical implants as the miniaturization enables the integration of advanced implant functionality in a reduced form factor. A part of this work was presented at the Latin America Symposium on Circuits and Systems (LASCAS) and was awarded the Best Paper award.
Related Publications
Shubham Jain, Chakri Pyla, R. Zele. ”A Digital FLL-based Adaptive Binary LDO for Implantable Medical Devices” 2025 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS) [Accepted for publication]
Shubham Jain, Sumit Khalapure, R. Zele. "Power Efficient Analog-Assisted Digital Voltage Regulator for Implantable Medical Devices" 2024 15th IEEE Latin American Symposium On Circuits And Systems (LASCAS). [Best Paper Award]
DOI:10.1109/LASCAS60203.2024.10506156