Patent ID: 8750957

Claim:
A neural probe comprising: a polymer handle portion made of a first polymer material; metal contact pads exposed in the polymer handle portion and presenting an external flat surface; a flexible polymer cantilever made from a second polymer material extending from the polymer handle portion; a plurality of metal recording pads exposed in the flexible polymer cantilever and presenting a flat external surface, wherein the recording pads are electrically connected to the contact pads via metal conductive interconnections buried in the polymer of the flexible polymer cantilever; a polymer layer made of a third polymer material and presenting a flat external surface, wherein the polymer layer is between the recording pads and the contact pads and the metal conductive interconnections are behind the polymer layer away from the flat external surface of the polymer layer; wherein the contact pad flat surfaces, the recording pad flat surfaces, and the polymer layer flat external surface are flush with each other; and a plurality of elongated metal recording electrodes extending normally from the exposed flat surfaces of the recording pads and separated by a distance, wherein the recording electrodes have a width of 1 micron or less and a height of six microns or less, and wherein a distance between adjacent recording electrodes is 10 microns or less.