Noise immune dielectric modulated dual trench transparent gate engineered MOSFET as a label free biosensor: proposal and investigation

We propose and investigate a biosensor based on a transparent dielectric-modulated dual-trench gate-engineered metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (DM DT GE-MOSFET) for label-free detection of biomolecules with enhanced sensitivity and efficiency. Various sensing parameters such as the I_ON/I_OFF ratio and the threshold voltage shift are evaluated as metrics to validate the proposed sensing device. Additionally, S_Vth (the V_th sensitivity) is also analyzed, considering both positively and negatively charged biomolecules. In addition, radiofrequency (RF) sensing parameters such as the transconductance gain and the cutoff frequency are taken into account to provide further insight into the sensitivity of the proposed device. Furthermore, the linearity, distortion, and noise immunity of the device are evaluated to confirm the overall performance of the biosensor at high (GHz) frequency. The results indicate that the proposed biosensor exhibits a S_Vth value of 0.68 for positively charged biomolecules at a very low drain bias of 0.2 V. The proposed device can thus be used as an alternative to conventional FET-based biosensors.

     

Integrated-optic surface-plasmon-resonance biosensor using gold nanoparticles by bipolarization detection

A new integrated-optic surface-plasmon-resonance (SPR) biosensor using gold nanoparticles with the ability of bipolarization interrogation is demonstrated. Although the previous SPR biosensor using gold nanoparticles can excite the surface plasma wave by the TM- and the TE-polarized lightwave, the sensitivity to the environmental index change for the TE-polarized lightwave is too low to be useful. The new integrated-optic SPR biosensor with a ridge waveguide structure can produce the obvious SPR wavelength shifts varied with the analyte concentration for two orthogonal polarizations. Therefore, two kinds of analytes can be separately detected by the TM- and the TE- polarized modes in one SPR biosensor, and the number of detectable biomaterials by the biosensor array in one chip can be doubled. This SPR biosensor is designed for the concentration measurement of beta-blocker, which is a remedy for heart disease. In the linear operation range, the SPR wavelength increases with the concentration of beta-blocker at a rate of 0.073 and 0.029 nm/ppm for the TM- and the TE- polarized modes, respectively.     

Computer aided modelling of an interdigitated microelectrode array impedance biosensor for the detection of bacteria

Electrostatic finite element modelling software and an ac equivalent circuit model have been used to investigate an impediometric microelectrode array biosensor for the detection of bacteria. The electrostatic model showed the capacitance of the biosensor to decrease with increasing numbers of bacteria trapped on the sensor?s surface in a suspension of relatively high dielectric permittivity. Optimization of the model suggests that reducing the spatial wavelength of the biosensor?s electrodes either through a decrease in electrode width or gap will improve the sensor?s sensitivity. In addition, the model confirmed that the permittivity of the external medium had a significant effect on detection efficiency. Increased sensitivity in suspensions of lower relative dielectric permittivity was observed. The equivalent circuit model (ECM) was used to analyze the effect of high levels of immobilized bacteria at fixed signal frequencies (100 Hz and 1 MHz). It has been shown that the ECM discussed in this paper is able to successfully model the experimental data for the actual sensor in the low frequency ranges, allowing prediction of the sensor response and analysis of its performance. Overall, the modelling results obtained in the present paper are in general agreement with those from other published data and can be used in the development and optimization of impediometric biosensors for rapid and reliable detection of pathogenic bacteria.     

Fabrication and Characterization of a Surface-Acoustic-Wave Biosensor in CMOS Technology for Cancer Biomarker Detection

Design, fabrication, and characterization of a novel surface acoustic wave (SAW) biosensor in complementary metal–oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology are introduced. The biosensor employs a streptavidin/biotin-based five-layer immunoassay for detecting a prominent breast cancer biomarker, mammoglobin (hMAM). There is a growing demand to develop a sensitive and specific assay to detect biomarkers in serum that could be used in the early detection of breast cancer, determining prognosis and monitoring therapy. CMOS-SAW devices present a viable alternative to the existing biosensor technologies by providing higher sensitivity levels and better performance at low costs. Two architectures (circular and rectangular) were developed and respective tests were presented for performance comparison. The sensitivities of the devices were analyzed primarily based on center frequency shifts. A frequency sensitivity of 8.704 pg/Hz and a mass sensitivity of 2810.25 m$^{2} /$kg were obtained. Selectivity tests were carried out against bovine serum albumin. Experimental results indicate that it is possible to attach cancer biomarkers to functionalized CMOS-SAW sensor surfaces and selectively detect hMAM antigens with improved sensitivities, lowered costs, and increased repeatability of fabrication.      

Factor Graph-Based Biomolecular Circuit Analysis for Designing Forward Error Correcting Biosensors

We previously reported the fabrication and the verification of novel biomolecular transistors where electrical conductivity of a “polyaniline nanowires” channel is controlled by antigen-antibody interactions. In this paper, we present a simulation framework for analyzing the reliability of biosensor circuits constructed by using these biomolecular transistors. At the core of the proposed framework is a library of electrical circuit models that capture the stochastic interaction between biomolecules and their variability to environmental conditions and experimental protocols. Reliability analysis is then performed by exploiting probabilistic dependencies between multiple circuit elements by using a factor graph-based decoding technique. The proposed computational approach facilitates rapid evaluation of forward error correction (FEC) strategies for biosensors without resorting to painstaking and time-consuming experimental procedures. The analysis presented in this paper shows that an asymmetric FEC biosensor code outperforms a repetition FEC biosensor code which has been proposed for microarray technology. In addition, we also show that the proposed analysis leads to a novel “co-detection” protocol that could be used for reliable detection of trace quantities of pathogens.      

Treatment of the Equations of Metal Oxidation Rates at Nuclear Power Plants and Thermal Power Plants in Terms of Thermodynamics

The results of the thermodynamic analysis of experimental data and the kinetics equations of hightemperature steam oxidation of iron-based alloys (in the process of a thermal power plant operation) and of zirconium and iron alloys applied in manufacturing of fuel element cladding (at loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA)) are presented. The method of sorting data on the Arrhenius equation parameters and criteria of their reliability are proposed. The dependence of the Arrhenius equation parameter variance depends on the alloy composition and concentration of oxidants (oxygen, steam). The results of isothermal tests in one medium allow relating the activation energy of alloy oxidation to their chemical composition in order to study the process of their oxidation. The algorithm for calculation of oxidation rates and the thermodynamic model of alloy steam oxidation dependence on their composition are developed. The simulation engages the exponential dependence of the molecule collision frequency factor on the entropy of reaction activation in the Arrhenius equation for reactions proceeding on the surfaces of different alloys according to a uniform mechanism and the notion of pseudobinarity of alloys when all dopes in the alloy behave as a single second alloy component, each with its own stoichiometrical coefficient. The verification of the model is accomplished using the plausible experimental data, and the kinetics of steam oxidation is determined (the temperature interval is 1073–1473 K) for zirconium alloys E110opt, E635 on the sponge base, and comparison with the kinetics of M5 alloy oxidation is carried out. For iron–chrome alloys with different contents of the latter, the results of calculations by the proposed model are compared to the data of the experiment on oxidation of alternative cladding alloys. The established laws can be used as a basis to develop the calculation code module for changing the physical state of iron–zirconium alloy fuel element cladding during the failure. The changes can be caused by such phenomena as oxidation, creep strain, and rupture of cladding.     

Optical sensing of biomolecules using microring resonators

A biosensor application of vertically coupled glass microring resonators with Q/spl sim/12 000 is introduced. Using balanced photodetection, very high signal to noise ratios, and thus high sensitivity to refractive index changes (limit of detection of 1.8/spl times/10/sup -5/ refractive index units), are achieved. Ellipsometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicate successful modification of biosensor surfaces. Experimental data obtained separately for a bulk change of refractive index of the medium and for avidin-biotin binding on the ring surface are reported. Excellent repeatability and close-to-complete surface regeneration after binding are experimentally demonstrated.     

Amperometric Electrochemical Microsystem for a Miniaturized Protein Biosensor Array

Protein-based bioelectrochemical interfaces offer great potential for rapid detection, continuous use, and miniaturized sensor arrays. This paper introduces a microsystem platform that enables multiple bioelectrochemical interfaces to be interrogated simultaneously by an onchip amperometric readout system. A post-complementary metal–oxide semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication procedure is described that permits the formation of planar electrode arrays and self assembly of biosensor interfaces on the electrodes. The onchip, 0.5-$mu$m CMOS readout electronics include a compact potentiostat that supports a very broad range of input currents—6 pA to 10 $mu{rm A}$—to accommodate diverse biosensor interfaces. The 2.3 $times$ 2.2-mm chip operates from a 5-V supply at 0.6 mA. A prototype electrochemical sensor platform, including an onchip potentiostat and miniaturized biosensor array, was characterized by using cyclic voltammetry. The linear relationship between the oxidization peak values and the concentrations of target analytes in the solution verifies functionality of the system and demonstrates the potential for future implementations of this platform in high sensitivity, low cost, and onchip protein-based sensor arrays.      

Transparent biosensor with micro channel array for optical and electrophysiological detection of luciferin–luciferase reaction

This paper describes a transparent biosensor that was designed to detect both the optical and electrophysiological signals of the luciferin–luciferase reaction. By using microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technologies, we have studied and developed a ‘Micro Channel Array’ (MCA) integrated with suction holes and electrodes as planar patch‐clamp biosensors. A transparent biosensor was developed as an advanced MCA. The developed transparent biosensor employs an SU‐8‐based MCA structure for simultaneous multipoint sensing of optical and electrophysiological signals. In this study, we tested the newly developed biosensor using the mPer1‐luc slice culture, which has circadian rhythms and is a typical example of cells in which a luciferin–luciferase reaction occurs. We could measure the optical and electrophysiological signals of the mPer1‐luc slice culture. Here we describe the experimental results of this study, and describe the design and fabrication of the transparent biosensor with MCA. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan© 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A theoretical analysis to improve the tuning and sensitivity of a surface plasmon resonance biosensor employing titanium disilicide–graphene heterostructures

Journal of Computational Electronics - A surface plasmon resonance-based biosensor is investigated theoretically and mathematically. The proposed sensor is a multilayered structure of titanium...     

The Ferroelectric Slab Waveguide: A Geometry for Microwave Components that Incorporate Ferroelectric Materials

A slab geometry, in which ferroelectric is inserted between two “cladding” layers with a microstrip electrode placed on top, is proposed as a way to integrate the properties of ferroelectric materials into microwave components. This structure distributes the propagating microwave fields between the ferroelectric and the cladding, so that the microwave dielectric constant is a weighted average of the dielectric constants of the two materials. It is shown that this geometry drastically reduces dissipation due to dielectric losses in the ferroelectric. In addition, by applying a dc bias to the microstrip line, the dielectric constant of the ferroelectric layer can be varied and with it the microwave properties of the structure.     

Quasi-one-dimensional photonic crystal as a compact building-block for refractometric optical sensors

We report the fabrication and the characterization of the refractometric and thermo-optical properties of a quasi-one-dimensional waveguide photonic crystal-a strong, 76-/spl mu/m-long Bragg grating. The transmission spectra (around 660 nm) of the structure have been measured as a function of both the cladding refractive index and the temperature. The transmission stopband was found to shift by 0.8-nm wavelength for either a cladding refractive index change of 0.05 or a temperature change of 120 K. The steep stopband edges provide a sensitive detection method for this band shift, by monitoring the transmitted output power.     

The high-temperature sodium coolant technology in nuclear power installations for hydrogen power engineering

In the case of using high-temperature sodium-cooled nuclear power installations for obtaining hydrogen and for other innovative applications (gasification and fluidization of coal, deep petroleum refining, conversion of biomass into liquid fuel, in the chemical industry, metallurgy, food industry, etc.), the sources of hydrogen that enters from the reactor plant tertiary coolant circuit into its secondary coolant circuit have intensity two or three orders of magnitude higher than that of hydrogen sources at a nuclear power plant (NPP) equipped with a BN-600 reactor. Fundamentally new process solutions are proposed for such conditions. The main prerequisite for implementing them is that the hydrogen concentration in sodium coolant is a factor of 100–1000 higher than it is in modern NPPs taken in combination with removal of hydrogen from sodium by subjecting it to vacuum through membranes made of vanadium or niobium. Numerical investigations carried out using a diffusion model showed that, by varying such parameters as fuel rod cladding material, its thickness, and time of operation in developing the fuel rods for high-temperature nuclear power installations (HT NPIs) it is possible to exclude ingress of cesium into sodium through the sealed fuel rod cladding. However, if the fuel rod cladding loses its tightness, operation of the HT NPI with cesium in the sodium will be unavoidable. Under such conditions, measures must be taken for deeply purifying sodium from cesium in order to minimize the diffusion of cesium into the structural materials.     

大型火药柱包复层粘接质量的全息干涉检测

本文提出了分体式减振和双物光光路的全息干涉法,解决了大型火药柱(400×1650mm)包复层粘接质量的检测问题。     

加氢反应器剥离超声检测成像系统设计

加氢反应器运行在高温、高压以及临氢条件下，长期使用会导致容器堆焊层的剥离。针对堆焊层剥离检测，开发了一套加氢剥离超声检测成像系统。该系统主要由机械扫壹装置、控制系统和超声检测成像系统三部分组成，文中详细介绍了各部分的构成和功能。该予统的开发，实现了检测过程的半自动化、检测数据和结果的可视化，提高检测的效率和检测结果的直观性、可靠性。     

Resonant Cavity Imaging: A Means Toward High-Throughput Label-Free Protein Detection

The resonant cavity imaging biosensor (RCIB) is an optical technique for detecting molecular binding interactions label free at many locations in parallel that employs an optical resonant cavity for high sensitivity. Near-infrared light centered at 1512.5 nm couples resonantly through a Fabry-Perot cavity constructed from dielectric reflectors (Si/SiO₂), one of which serves as the binding surface. As the wavelength is swept using a tunable laser, a near-infrared digital camera monitors cavity transmittance at each pixel. A wavelength shift in the local resonant response of the optical cavity indicates binding. Positioning the sensing surface with respect to the standing wave pattern of the electric field within the cavity controls the sensitivity with which the presence of bound molecules is detected. Transmitted intensity at thousands of pixel locations is recorded simultaneously in a 10 s, 5 nm scan. An initial proof-of-principle setup has been constructed. A test sample was fabricated with 25,100-mum wide square features, each with a different density of 1-mum square depressions etched 12 nm into the SiO₂ surface. The average depth of each etched region was found with 0.05 nm rms precision. In a second test, avidin, bound selectively to biotin conjugated bovine serum albumin, was detected.     

分段多项式拟合法测量光纤几何参数

光纤几何参数是影响光纤性能的一个重要指标。灰度法为光纤几何参数测量的一种常用方法,测量时需要对光纤通光照明以区分纤芯和包层。由于光并不完全集中于纤芯传播（部分光在包层中传播）,导致纤芯与包层的界面难以区分。为了准确找出纤芯边缘,本文利用两段多项式分别拟合纤芯和包层区域的光强灰度分布,求得两段多项式的交点对应的灰度值作为纤芯和包层的分界点,从而得到纤芯的边缘数据。利用分段三次Hermite插值对测量数据进行矫正,降低误差点对拟合的影响。通过对两组成像质量不同的光纤端面图像进行测量,用标准仪器先后测得纤芯的直径和不圆度为10.068µm、0.616%和10.397µm、0.766%,本文方法的测量值为9.999µm、0.716%和10.020µm、0.857%。实验表明,本文方法对光纤几何参数的测量具有较好的准确性和稳定性,而且从理论上讲,本文方法较之常用的灰度法更具有物理意义和测量原理上的合理性。     

Leaky modes of circular slab waveguides: modified Airy functions

Circular slab waveguides are conformally mapped into straight waveguides. In the outer cladding region with monotonously increasing index profile, modified Airy functions of traveling-wave form are introduced to express the leaky mode. Field distributions and losses calculated by the proposed method are compared with those obtained by the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin method.     

Development of an evanescent wave fiber optic biosensor

Biosensors are uniquely qualified to meet the need for rapid, inexpensive analytical procedures. The authors' intent was to develop a simple, real-time immunoassay that could process multiple samples in a semi-automated manner, while maintaining maximum versatility to permit its application under various conditions. To achieve this goal, the authors have developed a biosensor which detects antibody-antigen binding within the evanescent wave of an optical biosensor     

覆层技术发展现状及其在制备铜基电触头材料中的应用

材料表面处理技术是目前材料科学的前沿领域,采用该技术可在一些表面性能差或廉价基材表面形成合金层,以取代昂贵的整体合金,降低成本。本文综述了覆层技术和等离子喷涂技术用于纳米覆层的研究现状,对比分析了各种技术的优缺点,展望了铜基覆层纳米AgSnO2电触头材料的发展趋势。