An analog integrated front-end amplifier for neural applications

The front-end amplifier forms the critical element for signal detection and pre-processing within neural monitoring systems. It determines not only the fidelity of the biosignal, but also impacts power consumption and detector size. In this paper, a combined feedback loop-controlled approach is proposed to neutralize for the input leakage currents generated by low noise amplifiers when in integrated circuit form, alongside signal leakage into the input bias network. Significantly, this loop topology ensures the front-end amplifier maintains a high input impedance across all manufacturing and operational variations. Furthermore, this feedback loop provides the amplification for the low amplitude neural signals without significant increase in power consumption or input-referred noise.