Versatile Disposable FET-Based Biosensors

Description

Conventional CHEMFETs (chemical field effect transistors) are silicon MOSFETs with the gate uncovered to make it chemically sensitive. These gates, made of poly-silicon or metal which are replaced with a chemically sensitive metal, are widely used but are not very effective. Furthermore, due to inefficiencies in removing trapped charges/dipoles after a sensing event, CHEMFET sensors experience a lot of drift in their characteristics with regard to time.

The key difference from established silicon CHEMFET technology is that CHEMFETs use channel charge modulation by dipoles (which have a net charge of zero), whereas in our device we use trapped positive charges, which produce a much greater conductivity modulation. This results in a performance improvement of a factor of 10X to 100X in comparison with existing technology (tested with air-based analytes). A similar increase in sensitivity is expected to be obtained in other media as well. The invention covers inorganic-inorganic four-terminal devices for vapor/gas sensing, as well as inorganic-inorganic four-terminal devices for sensing in aqueous ambients

Benefits

• Outperforms traditional CHEMFETs by a factor of 10 in terms of magnitude of response
• Observed response in the chemical memory mode 10 to 100 times more intense
• Can run the sensor in many modes, multiparameter (3-in-1 sensor)
• Based on established technology
• Low cost, disposable, and easy to manufacture (combined with thin film technology)
• Suitable for various ambients
• Can be integrated at a system level for RFID applications

Features

• Given its advantages, this technology can still function as a traditional CHEMFET.
• The sensors can be refreshed after a sensing event.
• The unique sensing mode "both on" appears to be the most sensitive of all the multiple sensing mechanisms present.

Market Potential/Applications

Water testing, water quality monitoring, glucose level testing, lactic acid level monitoring, disease detection and diagnostics, and various industrial uses Water testing, water quality monitoring, glucose level testing, lactic acid level monitoring, disease detection and diagnostics, and various industrial uses

For further information please contact

University of Texas,
Austin, USA
Website : www.otc.utexas.edu