Active CMOS sensor array for electrochemical biomolecular detection

US10718732B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York · US

Inventors

• Peter M. LEVINE · New York, US
• Kenneth L. Shepard · Johnstown, US
• Ping Gong · Shandong, CN
• Levicky Rastislav · Dobbs Ferry, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 19, 2016
• Grant date: Jul 21, 2020
• Expiry date: Apr 6, 2037

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L23/53261
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Electrochemical sensing of biomolecules eliminates the need for bulky optical instruments required in traditional fluorescence-based sensing assays. Integration of the sensor interface electrodes and active electrochemical detection circuitry on CMOS substrates miniaturizes the sensing platform, enhancing portability for point-of-care applications, while enabling high-throughput, highly-parallel analysis. One embodiment includes a four-by-four active sensor array for multiplexed electrochemical biomolecular detection in a standard 0.25-μm CMOS process. Integrated potentiostats, including control amplifiers and dual-slope ADCs, stimulate the electrochemical cell and detect the current flowing through on-chip gold electrodes at each sensor site resulting from biomolecular reactions occurring on the chip surface. Post-processing techniques for fabricating biologically-compatible surface-electrode arrays in CMOS that can withstand operation in harsh electrochemical environments are described. Demonstrations showing example operation of the active CMOS array for biomolecular detection include cyclic voltammetry of a reversible redox species, DNA probe density characterization, and quant…