Neural probes, as an invasive physiological tool at the mesoscopic scale, can decipher the code of brain connections and communications from the cellular or even molecular level, and realize information fusion between the human body and external machines. In addition to traditional electrodes, two new types of neural probes have been developed in recent years: optoprobes based on optogenetics and magnetrodes that record neural magnetic signals. In this review, we give a comprehensive overview of these three kinds of neural probes. We firstly discuss the development of microelectrodes and strategies for their flexibility, which is mainly represented by the selection of flexible substrates and new electrode materials. Subsequently, the concept of optogenetics is introduced, followed by the review of several novel structures of optoprobes, which are divided into multifunctional optoprobes integrated with microfluidic channels, artifact-free optoprobes, three-dimensional drivable optoprobes, and flexible optoprobes. At last, we introduce the fundamental perspectives of magnetoresistive (MR) sensors and then review the research progress of magnetrodes based on it.

Magnetoresistive (MR) sensors have great application prospects in the field of weak magnetic field detection due to their high sensitivity, small size, and low power consumption. However, 1/f noise greatly limits the low-frequency detectivity of MR sensors. In order to suppress 1/f noise, this paper proposes a two-dimensional synchronous motion modulation (TDSMM) structure based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). This structure can effectively reduce 1/f noise by modulating the frequency of the measured magnetic field in the high-frequency band. Theoretical analysis and finite element simulation were conducted on three different modulation models: TSDMM, magnetic flux concentrators motion modulation, and MR components longitudinal motion modulation. The results showed that the modulation efficiency of the TDSMM reached as high as 127%, which is currently the highest value in MR-MEMS sensors. The TDSMM MEMS structure has been successfully manufactured, and the resonant frequency of the transverse resonator is twice that of the longitudinal resonator, enabling extremely high modulation efficiency. The noise spectral density of giant-magnetoresistive components on a silicon-on-insulator substrate was tested, and the noise level in the high-frequency band was three orders of magnitude lower than that in the low-frequency band. These results position MR-MEMS sensors with TDSMM structures as highly competitive candidates in the field of ultra-weak magnetic field detection.

An ion beam etching system with etching endpoint detection (EPD) capability based on optical emission spectroscopy (OES) was conceived, built, and tested. An expansion chamber was added on the right side of the etching chamber to fix the optical detector for in-situ detecting. In this system, the optical detector was mounted on a seven-shaped bracket, which was fixed by two straight guides, thus the position of the optical detector could be adjusted arbitrarily to collect the emission spectrum generated by the sample during the etching process. The signal was transmitted by optical fiber to the computer for processing, and the etching endpoint could be detected after analyzing the data. Firstly, we used simple substances (Al, Cr, Si, and Mg) to analyze the feasibility of the system and determine the best position of the optical detector. In addition, we also tested the detection limit of the system. Finally, a complex multilayer film sample with different materials was tested, and the results showed that the system could clearly detect the characteristic emission lines of different layers and had a good real-time performance and excellent endpoint detection capabilities.