In vivo RFID chip

• US 8,830,037 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2009
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Burke, Peter J., Rutherglen, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): POINT, RUFUS C
• Application Number:
  US12/651,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20100171596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/10.5, 340/13.26, 340/539.12, 340/572.1, 600/424
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/88 Providing power supply at the sub-station
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

An in vivo RFID chip implanted in a patient'"'"'s body, comprising an integrated antenna formed on the chip, and a CMOS-compatible circuitry adapted for biosensing and transmitting information out of the patient'"'"'s body. In preferred embodiments, the CMOS-compatible circuitry is adapted to sense a chemical and/or physical quantity from a local environment in the patient'"'"'s body and to control drug release from the drug reservoirs based on the quantity sensed.

Claims

1. An in vivo RFID chip implanted in a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:

a silicon substrate,

a CMOS-compatible circuitry,

and an integrated antenna integrally formed on the silicon substrate with the CMOS-compatible circuitry as a unitary chip structure, wherein neither the length nor the width of the silicon substrate with integrated antenna and CMOS-compatible circuitry exceeds 100 um,

wherein the CMOS-compatible circuitry is adapted for biosensing and transmitting information out of the patient'"'"'s body;

wherein the CMOS-compatible circuitry is adapted to sense a chemical and/or physical quantity from a local environment in the patient'"'"'s body and to control drug release from drug reservoirs based on the quantity sensed; and

wherein the integrated antenna comprises a plurality of nanostructure based antennas, the nanostructure-based antennas formed from carbon single walled nanotubes (SWNTs).

2. The chip of claim 1, wherein the antenna is integrated with a rectifier circuit and supplies power to the chip by converting AC power into a DC voltage.

3. The chip of claim 1 further comprising drug reservoirs coupled to the CMOS-compatible circuitry.

4. The chip of claim 1, wherein the chip is powered by a power source from outside the patient'"'"'s body.

5. The chip of claim 1, wherein the chip is adapted to electrically stimulate biological function in the patient'"'"'s body.

6. The chip of claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises an inductive coil with multiple loops, wherein efficiency of the antenna is a function of the number of coil loops.

7. The chip of claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises at least one nanotube.

8. The chip of claim 1, wherein the CMOS-compatible circuitry is integrated with a plurality of sensors.

9. A method of interrogating biological systems, comprising the steps of:

implanting in a patient'"'"'s body an RFID chip having a silicon substrate, the silicon substrate having a CMOS-compatible circuitry and an integrated antenna integrally formed thereon as a unitary chip structure, wherein neither the length nor the width of the silicon substrate with integrated antenna and CMOS-compatible circuitry exceeds 100 um,

wherein the integrated antenna comprises a plurality of nanostructure based antennas, the nanostructure-based antennas formed from carbon single walled nanotubes (SWNTs);

sensing a physical and/or chemical quantity through a plurality of sensors integrated in the CMOS-compatible circuitry;

converting the physical and/or chemical quantity into a measurable signal;

transmitting the signal out of the silicon substrate via the integrated antenna on the RFID chip; and

controlling drug release from drug reservoirs based on the physical and/or chemical quantity sensed.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the antenna comprises an inductive coil with multiple loops, wherein efficiency of the antenna is a function of the number of coil loops.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of powering the RFID chip by a power source from outside the patient'"'"'s body.

12. An in vivo RFID chip implanted in a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:

a silicon substrate,

a CMOS-compatible circuitry, and

an integrated antenna integrally formed on the silicon substrate with the CMOS-compatible circuitry as a unitary chip structure, wherein neither the length nor the width of the silicon substrate with integrated antenna and CMOS-compatible circuitry exceeds 100 um, wherein the CMOS-compatible circuitry is adapted for biosensing and transmitting information out of the patient'"'"'s body;

wherein the CMOS-compatible circuitry is adapted to electrically stimulate a biological function in the patient'"'"'s body; and

wherein the integrated antenna comprises a plurality of nanostructure-based antennas, the nanostructure-based antennas formed from carbon single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs).