Towards low-cost, high-sensitivity, integrated biosensors

The early detection of pathogens in a solution sample using a biosensor and associated electronics manufactured in a mainstream semiconductor process is currently attracting much research and development interests around the globe. This is primarily because such a system will be low-cost, easily manufactured, and can offer very high sensitivities, thus potentially stopping the rapid spread of diseases due to water or food contamination. In this paper, we describe our current research on the design and development of an electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor to detect hybridization of target DNA oligonucleotides using functionalized probes tethered to the insulator's surface of the transistor. This biological sensor, when integrated with associated signal conditioning and processing circuits, promises high sensitivity and cheaper manufacturing costs than current labeled DNA microarray optical sensing systems.