Infineon Technologies Ag

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Gmbh

Pyreos Ltd.

Christian Paulus

Roland Thewes

Alexander Frey

Meinrad Schienle

Bjorn-Oliver Eversmann

Ralf Klein

Martin Jenkner

Franz Hofmann

Ralf Peter Brederlow

Carsten Giebeler

Matthias Schreiter

Christl Lauterbach

Herbert Eichfeld

Guido Stromberg

Marcin Augustyniak

Birgit Holzapfl

Ivo Koren

Petra Schindler-Bauer

Björn-Oliver Eversmann

Marie-Claire Hoffmann

Claudio Stagni Degli Esposti

Dirk Romer

A monolithically integrated sensor assembly is for detecting molecules that are potentially contained in an analyte. The assembly includes: a substrate; at least one sensor electrode, which is located on or in the substrate and is coated with a sensor-active layer, on which electrochemically active particles are generated in the present of the molecules to be detected, the particles being detected via an electric sensor signal on the sensor electrode(s); at least one additional electrode that is located on or in the substrate; and an operating circuit that is integrated into the substrate for controlling the sensor electrode and the additional electrode(s).

Monolithically integrated hybridisation sensor assembly and associated production method

In a device for detecting thermal radiation, at least one membrane is provided on which at least one thermal detector element is mounted for the conversion of the thermal radiation into an electric signal and at least one circuit support for carrying the membrane and for carrying at least one readout circuit for reading out the electrical signal, the detector element and the readout circuit being connected together electrically by an electric contact which passes through the membrane. In addition, a method of producing the device with the following method steps is provided: a) provision of the membrane with the detector element and of at least one electrical through-connection and provision of the circuit support and b) bringing together the membrane and the circuit support in such a manner that the detector element and the readout circuit are connected together electrically by an electrical contact passing through the membrane. Production activity is preferably carried out at wafer level: functionalized silicon substrates are stacked upon one another, firmly bonded to one another and then divided into individual elements. Preferably, the detector elements comprise of pyro-electrical detector elements. The device finds application in motion detectors, presence detectors and in thermal imaging cameras.

Device having a membrane structure for detecting thermal radiation, and method for production thereof

A biosensor array having a substrate, a plurality of biosensor zones arranged on the substrate, each of which has a first terminal and a second terminal, at least one drive line and at least one detection line, the at least one drive line being electrically insulated from the at least one detection line. In each case the first terminal of each biosensor zone is coupled to precisely one of the at least one drive line and the second terminal of each biosensor zone is coupled to precisely one of the at least one detection line, and at least one of the at least one drive line and at least one of the at least one detection line is coupled to at least two of the biosensor zones. The biosensor array also has a drive unit for providing an electrical drive signal, a detection unit for detecting an electrical detection signal resulting from the electrical drive signal, and a selection unit that couples the drive unit to the drive line of a biosensor zone to be selected and the detection unit to the detection line of the biosensor zone to be selected, whereby the biosensor zone is selected.

Biosensors array and method for operating a biosensor array

A sensor array with at least three electrodes and a switching unit is disclosed, as well as a process for operating such a sensor array for implementing an electrochemical analysis process. The at least three electrodes can be selectively switched as counter-electrodes or as a working electrode which can be electrically coupled to an electrolytic analyte. The at least three electrodes are set up in such a way that sensor events occur at an electrode switched as working electrode in the electrolyte solution, in the presence of the electrolytic analyte. The electrodes which are not required as working electrodes at a particular point in time for detecting the electrolytic analyte can thus be switched together to form the counter-electrode of the sensor array, thus dispensing with the need for a separate counter-electrode.

Process and device for emulating a counter-electrode in a monolithically integrated electrochemical analysis system

A sensor arrangement including a control circuit is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, at least one sensor electrode can be charged and/or discharged therewith and a comparator unit for the comparison of a provided voltage for the at least one electrode with a reference voltage. A duration necessary for the charging/discharging of the at least one sensor electrode is determined, whereby, from the determined duration, it is determined whether a sensor event, in the form of a hybridization between trap molecules and the particles for recording, has occurred.

Sensor arrangement and method for detecting a sensor event

A circuit arrangement, an electrochemical sensor, a sensor arrangement, and a method for processing a current signal provided by a sensor electrode are disclosed. The circuit arrangement includes a sensor electrode, a first circuit unit, electrically coupled to the sensor electrode and a second circuit unit, including a first capacitor, whereby the first circuit arrangement is embodied to hold the electrical potential of the sensor electrode in a given first reference range about a set electrical potential and, when the sensor electrode potential falls outside the first reference range, the first capacitor and the sensor electrode are coupled such that a matching of the electrical potentials is possible. The second circuit unit is embodied such that, when the electrical potential of the first capacitor falls outside a second reference range, this event is detected and the first capacitor brought to a first electrical reference potential.

Potentiostatic circuit arrangement on a biosensor for digitisation of the measured current

Apparatus for measuring neural network activity with a textured semiconductor substrate. Sensor elements have a respective detection electrode on the substrate surface for detecting neural network signals, and the detected neural signals are a basis for outputting electrical sensor output signals via respective sensor element outputs. Each amplifier element has an input and an output. Each of the sensor elements has associated therewith one of the amplifier elements whose input is connected to the sensor output of the respective sensor element. The amplified sensor output signal is output the amplifier output as an amplifier output signal. An activity evaluator has an input, which is connected to at least one of the amplifier outputs, and an output. The activity evaluation device produces an activity signal, which is a measure of activity of the neural network, based on the amplifier output signal, and outputs the amplifier output signal via the evaluation output.

Event detection&#x2014;apparatus and method for measuring the activity of neural networks

Sensor arrangement having capture molecules immobilized on any of three sensor electrodes, wherein molecules to be detected can hybridize with the capture molecules; a control circuit for applying a first electrical signal to a selected sensor electrode and simultaneously applying a second electrical signal to at least two of the other sensor electrodes; a detection device, wherein in a first operating state a reference liquid is introduced into the sensor arrangement and a reference value of an electrical signal is detected at the selected sensor electrode, and in a second operating state an analyte possibly having molecules to be detected is introduced into the sensor arrangement and a sensor value of the electrical signal is detected at the selected sensor electrode; and an evaluation circuit, which, on the basis of the reference value and the sensor value, determines whether a hybridization event has taken place at the selected sensor electrode.

Sensor arrangement and method for operating a sensor arrangement

A planar-sensor arrangement is disclosed, which is used to detect particles possibly contained in an analyte. The sensor element includes a substrate, a first planar-sensor electrode and a second planar-sensor electrode which are formed on and/or in the substrate and whereon catcher molecules can be immobilized. The first sensor-electrode and the second sensor-electrode are divided, respectively, into a plurality of planar sensor-electrode partial areas. The sensor electrode partial areas of the first sensor electrode and the sensor electrode partial areas of the second sensor electrode are arranged in an alternating manner in two dimensions on the surface plane of the substrate. The sensor element also includes a wiring structure by which at least one part of the sensor electrode partial areas of the first sensor electrode are electrically coupled together, and by which at least one part of the sensor-electrode partial areas of the second sensor electrode are electrically coupled together.

Planar sensor arrangement, sensor array and method for the production of a planar-sensor arrangement

A sensor arrangement and method of operating the sensor arrangement are described. The sensor arrangement has sensor devices formed on or in a substrate and a calibration device for calibrating a respective sensor device. Each sensor device has an electrical signal converter which is a field-effect transistor (FET) having a gate terminal coupled to a sensor element that is coupled to the signal converter, a device that keeps constant the electrical voltage between source and drain terminals of the FET, and a device for detecting the value of the electric current flowing through the signal converter. The sensor element characteristically influences the electrical conductivity of the signal converter on account of a sensor event on the sensor element. The calibration device brings the gate region of the FET to an electrical calibration potential such that the electric current is independent of parameter fluctuations of the FET.

A driver circuit which has one or more driver transistors connected to a load and which further includes at least one circuit block configured to control the voltage on the gate nodes of the one or more driver transistors and which is connected to the latter. The gate source voltage of the one or more driver transistors can be controlled, using an appropriate configuration of the circuit blocks in relation to the circuit, by the application of the current in such a way that the charging/discharging current is approximately sine. The circuit block has a current source that controls the gate voltage on the gate nodes of the one or more driver transistors and the circuit block as an additional first voltage source that provides the operating voltage of the driver circuit, in addition to a second voltage source that provides a control voltage which is used to adapt the driver circuit to different load magnitudes.

Drive circuit

Sensor arrangement having row and column lines arranged in first and second directions, respectively, sensor arrays arranged in crossover regions of the row and column lines, a detector, and a decoding device. The sensor arrays have a coupling device for electrically coupling respective row and column lines, and a sensor element to influence electric current flow through the coupling device. The detector is electrically coupled to a respective end section of at least a portion of the row and column lines, and detects a respective accumulative current flow from the individual electrical current flows provided by the sensor arrays of the respective lines. The decoding device is coupled to the row and column lines, and evaluates at least a portion of the accumulative electric current flows fed to the decoding device via the row and column lines to determine at which of the sensor elements a sensor signal is present.

Sensor arrangement

Method for detecting macromolecular biopolymers using a unit for immobilizing macromolecular biopolymers, in which the unit is provided with first molecules serving as capture molecules. The method includes the steps of bringing a sample into contact with the unit, it being possible for the sample to contain the macromolecular biopolymers, and the macromolecular biopolymers or the first molecules having a marking which is used to generate a detectable signal, binding macromolecular biopolymers contained in the sample to the capture molecules, thereby forming complexes comprising capture molecules and macromolecular biopolymers, exciting the emission of a signal by means of the marking, detecting the signal emitted by means of the marking, separating the complexes comprising capture molecules and macromolecular biopolymers, thereby altering the intensity of the emitted signal, and detecting the separation of the complexes comprising capture molecules and macromolecular biopolymers by means of the change in the intensity of the signal.

Method and biosensors for detecting macromolecular biopolymers

The invention relates to an analog-to-digital converter. The analog-to-digital converter, for conversion of a signal for digitization into a digital signal, contains a number of comparators, each of which has a first and second input and an output. The digitized signal is provided at said output. Each comparator is further provided with an impedance network, coupled to at least one input of the comparator, whereby an impedance network is wired between the corresponding comparator and the signal for digitization and between the corresponding comparator and a first electrical reference potential. The impedance networks are arranged such that the comparators are essentially brought to the same working point in the region of the specific decision threshold thereof.

Analog-to-digital converter

Circuit arrangement having a sensor electrode, a first circuit unit, which is electrically coupled to the sensor electrode, and a second circuit unit, which has a first capacitor. The first circuit unit holds an electrical potential of the sensor electrode in a predetermined first reference range around a predetermined electrical desired potential by coupling the first capacitor and the sensor electrode such that there is a matching of their electrical potentials. If the second circuit unit detects the electrical potential of the first capacitor being outside a second reference range, the second circuit unit brings the first capacitor to a first electrical reference potential.

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Weilheim, Germany

Christian Paulus