Facilities

updated: 09/08/2023


EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION

The Bioelectronics Laboratory is in Bioengineering and Sciences Building (BSB) at the University of Texas at Dallas.. The lab has five sections: (1) Electrophysiology and Imaging, (2) Prototype Manufacturing, (3) Electronics Design, (4) Biolgical Bench, (5) Tissue Culture. The group has access to many shared facilities, microfabrication failicities, animal facilities, and characterization labs. Also, the group members have fully access to advanced engineering softwares, inclduing Cadence EDA, COMSOL, ANSYS HFSS, Matlab, and Labview.



Electrophysiology and Imaging

The fluorescence upright microscope (Zeiss Axio Examiner D.1) is specifically tailored for electrophysiology. It is used for opaque substrates, such as silicon substrate. Reflected microscopy is required to image the cultured cell on the surface. The Axio Examiner D.1 is equipped with reflected bright-field, reflected DIC, and reflected fluores-cence capabilities with high-end objective for water-immersion imaging. Faraday cage offers a low-noise environment for electrophysiology.

Prototype Manufacturing

The Bioelectronics lab owns fully operational wire bonder (7400A), dual-material 3D printer, laser cutter, fully-automated CNC mill, drill press, laminator, and plasma cleaner for prototyping, early product development, and fabrication process.

Electronics Design

The lab is equipped with established a CMOS development platform that is capable of designing/simulation/physical layout and post-silicon characterization. Also, we have Metcal soldering station, PCB reflow oven, and heat gun.

Potentiostat

PlamSens4 is a potentiostat/galvanostat/impedance analyzer. This is used to characterize electrochemical characteristics of our neural probes and electrodes.

RF Network Analyzer

The network analyzer is for measuring network parameters for high frequencies, between 300 kHz to 3 GHz. This is used to measure inductance and mutual inductance of wireless coils.

Plasma Cleaner

This is for sample cleaning. Harrick Plasma Inc. 

Electrophysiology

The fluorescence upright microscope (Zeiss Axio Examiner D.1) is specifically tailored for electrophysiology. It is used for opaque substrates, such as silicon substrate. Reflected microscopy is required to image the cultured cell on the surface. The Axio Examiner D.1 is equipped with reflected bright-field, reflected DIC, and reflected fluorescence capabilities with high-end objective for water-immersion imaging. Faraday cage offers a low-noise environment for electrophysiology.

Patch clamp system

Micromanipulator by Narishige, Zeiss Examiner Upright Microscope

Pipette Puller

Sutter Instruments P-87

Molecular and Cell Biology

Tissue Culture: The group has tissue culture facility and has access to various fluorescence microscopes including upright microscope adequate for imaging cells on opaque substrate (CMOS) and inverted microscopes for typical biological work.

Software

Cadence EDA, COMSOL, Matlab, Labview, and ANSYS HFSS