PIE Foundry

Our Technology & Capabilities

Polymer Microelectrode Arrays


We specialize in the creation of thin-film, polymer-based electrode arrays using batch-scale micromachining. Our Foundry can create customized microelectrode arrays in a wide-variety of sizes and shapes for a wide-variety of applications.

Our electrode arrays are made from a Parylene C base with micropatterned platinum electrodes. Our typical arrays are just 20 micrometers thick, and we can create features as small as 2 micrometers in resolution. Parylene C (poly-monochloro(p-xylylene)) is a flexible, transparent, pinhole-free polymer, with an elastic modulus <3MPa and an extensive history as an insulation material in chronic biomedical implants. This polymer-base renders our electrode arrays soft and pliable, greatly reducing damage (and immune response) from neural tissue, allowing for successful, chronic use in free-moving animal subjects.

We have created Parylene MEAs with as many as 512 individually addressible electrodes, with form-factors for cortical, subcortical, peripheral nerve and retinal interface applications. Chronic stability of our devices have been demonstrated in rat-models for > 1 year.

To learn more, please see these selected publications.

Polymer MicroFoundry Services


The PIE Foundry operates out of a specialized class-100 cleanroom in the Michelson Convergent Bioscience building in the University of Southern California, and is a key user of the USC Nanofabrication facilities. We offer 4" wafer microfoundry services tailored specifically for use on Parylene C and other polymers. Our capabiliites include UV microlithographic patterning down to 2 micrometers, sputtered and electron-beam evaporated metal deposition, polymer chemical vapor deposition, and internally developed deep reactive ion etch developed specifically for organic polymers. For a full range of our capabilities please review our capabilities and guidelines.

We offer custom polymer MEAs as a free service to academic users. Our staff will work with your research group to design, fabricate, and package devices for your research needs. Interested groups should consult our MEA design guide, and submit an initial inquiry. We also offer multi-project wafer (MPW) processing for groups looking for expedited fabrication, and who have prepared their own design files.

Standard Template Polymer Penetrating Probes


We offer a standard 64 electrode penetrating probe array, designed for cortical or subcortical recording in small-rodent models. These probes are a quick solution for researchers seeking a simple, off-the-shelf recording solution who are interested in the advantages of polymer MEAs for stable chronic recording.

Our standard template probe arrays feature four Parylene shanks, 5 mm long and just 20 micrometers thick, each supporting 16 platinum electrodes. We provide probes fully packaged into electrode interface boards, with a standard Omnetics connector. Please contact PIEFoundry@usc.edu for technical details or to request samples.

Datasheets will soon be available.

Parylene Cortical Probe