System and method for forming a biological microdevice

A microelectrode array (MEA) produced by a method comprising:

• applying a biocompatible coarse scale additive process, with an additive device and a biocompatible material, to form an object, wherein the coarse scale is a dimension not less than about 100 μm;
• applying a biocompatible fine scale subtractive process, with a subtractive device, to the object, wherein the fine scale is a dimension not greater than about 1000 μm;
• and
• moving the object between the additive device and the subtractive device, the MEA comprising at least one of a diameter in a range from about 1 μm to about 150 μm, an average 1 kHz impedance in a range from about 20 kΩ to about 200 kΩ and a double layer capacitance of less than about 10 μF;
• wherein the applying the biocompatible coarse scale additive process comprises;
• 3D printing a base of the object with a 3D printer using an optical signal oriented at an angle with respect to a surface of the biocompatible material, wherein a value of the angle is in a range from about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees and wherein the coarse scale dimension is based on the value of the angle, and
• spin coating or lamination of a biocompatible adhesive to define an insulation layer of the object;
• and
• wherein the applying the biocompatible fine scale subtractive process comprises micromachining with a laser to fabricate a plurality of microelectrode recording sites in the insulation layer.