A CMOS biocompatible charge detector for biosensing applications

LAI, STEFANO;Caboni A;LOI, DANIELA;BARBARO, MASSIMO

2012-01-01

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Abstract

A solid-state CMOS device capable of detecting the changes of electric charge caused by a chemical or biological reaction is presented. The device is fully compatible with a standard CMOS process. Bio-compatibility is obtained by passivation of the active area with a layer of alumina obtained with a simple, low-cost and reliable process. A test chip hosting 80 sensors has been realized and characterized showing the detection capabilities of the novel sensor. Re-usability of the device by stripping of the alumina layer was proved.