Thin-Film Grid Electrodes
Function follows fit: 50+ thin-film grid designs for ECoG, EEG, cardiac and nerve recording, on polyimide 12 µm thin.
NeuroNexus thin-film grids are flexible polyimide surface electrodes that record from the brain, skull, heart or a nerve without penetrating it. Thin-Film Grids for Surface Recording explains the type and how to choose one.
50+ designs
Thin-film grid designs in the catalog, each with a datasheet
12 µm thin
Polyimide substrate that follows the tissue surface
5 to 300 mm
From a mouse skull to a large-animal cortex or heart
ECoG · EEG · ECG · nerve
Epidural, subdural, skull-surface, epicardial and cuff placements
Up to 256 sites
ECoG grids from 4 to 256 sites, epidural or subdural
Chronic
EEG preparations that last months, with a surgical guide per type
Thin-film grids by family
Four families. Each card states the trade its placement makes; the glossary term explains it, the webstore lists the designs.
ECoG Series
12 µm polyimide grids for the cortical surface, epidural or subdural; 4 to 256 sites, 25 µm to 1 mm.
EEG Series
12 µm polyimide EEG arrays for the skull surface, no craniotomy; 6 to 32 sites for mouse and rat.
Cardiac Surface Grid Series
12 µm polyimide grids for the epicardium; accordion and segmented layouts hold contact through the beat.
Nerve-Cuff Series
12 µm polyimide cuffs pre-curved to wrap a peripheral nerve; the diameter is chosen, not adjusted.
Mouse EEG
A thin-film grid on the skull surface records EEG from a mouse without a craniotomy. The landing lists the catalog designs, live stock, the surgical guide and the acquisition systems that connect.
No craniotomy
The grid sits on the skull; the preparation lasts months.
Catalog designs with live stock
Every design on the landing shows what ships now.
Surgical guide
Placement, the connector pedestal and closure, step by step.
Finding the right thin-film grid
Select a grid from the target, the signal, the placement and the recording system.
The guide to the type: what a grid records, where it sits, and how the layout follows the target.
Read the guideSix questions that select an electrode from the target, measurement, duration, subject and recording system.
Read the guideFilter the grid designs by site count, site spacing, application and form factor.
Open the webstoreAn application scientist can select or design the grid for your preparation.
Request ConsultationDocuments for thin-film grids
The surgical guides, the referencing guide, an application note and the white paper, from the resource library.
Thin-Film Grids for Surface Recording
What a grid records, where it sits, and how the site layout follows the target.
Open the documentSurgical Guide: Thin-Film Grids, ECoG Implantation
Craniotomy, epidural or subdural placement, fixation and closure.
Open the documentSurgical Guide: Thin-Film Grids, EEG Implantation
Skull-surface placement without a craniotomy; the connector pedestal.
Open the documentThin-Film Grids: EEG Referencing Techniques
Reference and ground choices, and what each does to the recorded signal.
Open the documentSkull-Surface EEG in Rats with a Thin-Film Grid
An application note: the preparation, the recording and the result.
Open the documentWhat Makes a Thin-Film Electrode Good
Materials, the insulating layer, site metal and the fabrication details that decide quality.
Open the documentYour grid sets the headstage and the acquisition system: connector type and channel count are fixed at the design. Start from the grid, and the Connection Finder names the adapter.
Thin-film grids record into Radiens through any compatible headstage and acquisition system. Radiens software is free to start.
Proven in the field
5,100+ papers
Peer-reviewed publications using NeuroNexus electrodes
1,000+ labs
Research institutions across six continents
50+ designs
Thin-film grid designs in the current catalog
22 years
Designing, manufacturing, selling and supporting electrodes
Published work with thin-film grids
Peer-reviewed papers that cite NeuroNexus surface electrodes.
Care, use and handling
Setup, handling, cleaning and storage for thin-film grids are documented once, in the resource library.
Inspect, measure impedance, connect, verify, clean in order, store flat. Never ultrasonic, never autoclave.
Open the documentThe set by electrode class: silicon probes and thin-film grids, with the surgical guides each links to.
Open the hubThin-film grids — FAQ
What's the difference between ECoG and EEG here?
ECoG grids sit directly on the cortical surface; EEG arrays record from the scalp or outer surface. Both are thin-film surface arrays.
Does a mouse EEG grid need a craniotomy?
No. The thin-film grid sits on the intact skull over the recording area, with no bone removed. Bone screws placed clear of the grid anchor the implant and provide the ground and reference, and the grid is cemented at its edges and at the cable exit.
How long does a mouse EEG grid implant last?
It records for weeks to months, so a biomarker can be followed through development, or a treatment measured against a baseline, on the same implant. Impedance that rises over weeks usually means the cement is lifting at an edge.
What is a thin-film grid electrode?
A thin-film grid is a flexible polyimide electrode array, 12 µm thick, that records from or stimulates the surface of the brain, the skull, a peripheral nerve or the heart rather than penetrating it. Its platinum sites sit outside the tissue, so it records the field potential beneath each site rather than single spikes. NeuroNexus makes 53 catalog designs in four families, ECoG, EEG, cardiac and nerve cuff, with 3 to 256 sites.
Which headstage and acquisition system does a grid need?
The package decides. Each grid design is built on a package that fixes its connector and its channel count, 16 to 256 channels, and it mates the same headstages as a silicon probe. Pin the package in the Connection Finder to list every headstage and acquisition system it reaches, and any adapter between them; a 32-site mouse EEG grid on an H32 package, for example, runs on a SmartLink 32 or X3R 32 headstage with Smartbox Pro or XDAQ.
Can a thin-film grid record and stimulate?
Yes. All four grid families, ECoG, EEG, cardiac and nerve cuff, record and stimulate through platinum sites 25 µm to 1 mm across. Stimulation runs through an X-Series record-and-stimulate headstage on XDAQ.