A new multichannel bladder stimulator

An integrated circuit intended for neural stimulation applications is described. The device has been designed and implemented in CMOS 3- mu m technology. The major advantages of the chip are its programmability and versatility. The intensity, format, and timing of the current pulses available at the eight channel outputs are serially and fully programmable. The different components of the device are controlled by a finite-state machine implemented by a PLA (programmable logic array). This implant can be placed inside the human body for long-term neural stimulation, and it can be used for many neurologic stimulation applications with minor modification of the implant.<>