University of Hawai'i

Other

James W Holm-Kennedy

Gordon P Lee

Michael H Kaneshiro

Donald K Umemoto

Koon Wing Tsang

David N Okada

Thomas T Bopp

Datong Yang

Scot P McArthur

Eric H Kawamoto

The present invention is a biosensor apparatus that includes a substrate, a source on one side of the substrate, a drain spaced from the source, a conducting channel between the source and the drain, an insulator region, and receptors on a gate region for receiving target material. The receptors are contacted for changing current flow between the source and the drain. The source and the drain are relatively wide compared to length between the source and the drain through the conducting channel.

Ultrasensitive biosensors

Receptors are selectively attached by introducing blocking materials in the areas outside the active sensor surface area, and/or selectively attaching the bio receptors to one or more active sensor surface areas. Methods for selective attachment include the use of optical attachment using a patterned exposure to assist in the creation of receptor bonding to pre-selected regions of the one or more chips. Blocking agents are attached to regions where blocking the receptor attachment is beneficial. Biased conducting regions may also affect selective attachment. Such controlled blocking may be accomplished using optical patterning exposure with optical assisted bonding of the blocking molecule or lift off processes. Patterned exposure for either attachment assists or liftoff processes employs photo masks. Conducting regions outside of the active sensor gate region are biased, affecting biochemical binding or non binding, and shielding of the semiconductor region outside of the active biosensor region.

Biosensor chip sensor protection methods

A new class of electronic devices suitable for Si IC incorporation and of diverse utility are described. The devices are useful for many sensing applications as well as for special circuit applications. Sensing applications include chemical and biochemical sensing, photo detection (UV, visible, IR and FIR), magnetic field sensing, electric field sensing, and force sensing. The devices are MEMs compatible. Sensor sensitivity is voltage and current tunable over a wide range. The devices further constitute a new and useful class of IC reference voltage devices. Selective non linear features are also achievable in support of non-linear device applications. These unique devices may be considered as distributed merged bipolar and FET structures. The new distributed channel bipolar devices (DCBDs) have a channel of a selected shape formed in a surface of a substrate by doping or by influencing of a coating. In the device structure, the channel acts as an NPN or PNO BJT collector or emitter.

Distributed channel bipolar devices and architectures

An electronic sensor is provided for detecting the presence of one or more analytes of interest in a sample. The sensor preferably comprises a field effect transistor in which conductance isenhancedalteredby analyte binding to receptors in the active region. An array of sensors may be formed to analyze a sample for multiple analytes.

Ultrasensitive biochemical sensor

A novel label-free sensitive detection method by employing a novel sensitive charge sensor is provided. Dissociation constant information is provided by a simple measurement of the dissociation of the target molecule form the target's receptor. The later process is affected by a novel system and its configuration as described herein. Basic objectives are to provide a drug discovery and characterization system that is an improvement over the current state of the art, low cost, highly sensitive, accurate, fast and easy to use. This invention involves both a physical system and a methodology.

Biochemical concentrator and drug discovery

An electronic sensor is provided for detecting the presence of one or more targets of interest in a sample. The sensor preferably comprises a special type of field effect transistor in which conductance is enhanced by target binding to recognition elements in the active region. An array of sensors may be formed to analyze a sample for multiple targets. The sensor may be used, for example, to detect the presence of pathogens, polypeptides, nucleic acids, toxins and other biochemical and chemical agents. The sensor is useful in a wide variety of applications including medical diagnostics, agriculture, public health, environmental monitoring and biomedical research.

Ultrasensitive biochemical sensing platform

An electronic sensor is provided for detecting the presence of one or more analytes of interest in a sample. The sensor preferably comprises a field effect transistor in which conductance is enhanced by analyte binding to receptors in the active region. An array of sensors may be formed to analyze a sample for multiple analytes.

A top incident spectrometer includes a first distributed wavelength wedge filter region of order n.sub.1 that discriminates incoming radiation as a function of wedge location, at least one second wedge region order n.sub.2 (which region may be a graded dielectric film), and an underlying detector array. In another embodiment, a second dielectric wedge element includes a Fabrey-Perot etalon, a wedge dielectric film, or a graded index film matching the second dielectric wedge region to an underlying substrate. One or more slopes associated with wedge elements may also be varied to alter filter characteristics. Spatial characteristics may further be modified by including a dielectric material whose dielectric constant varies as a function of location. Wedge filter crosstalk is minimized by partitioning a wedge dielectric region in the lateral dimension. Another embodiment provides an edge incident spectrometer including an optical waveguide or thin film structure whose spatial optical impedance varies as a function of position. Outcoupling of optical radiation occurs as a function of wavelength along the spectrometer propagation direction. Outcoupling of optical radiation may also be made to overlying structures, or to regions within a common, preferably solid state, structure. Wedge structures may further be combined to intentionally create gaps in the spectral transmission for a filter structure. A shadow masking fabricates thin film elements having spatially varying features. A material is deposited onto a substrate using an edge to provide a shadow mask affecting the deposition stream.

Integrated optical wavelength discrimination devices and methods for

A method and application for detecting and measuring the presence of a binding target material employs a semiconductor device having a receptor-covered surface topgate, separated by a dielectric layer from a substrate. Receptors attached to this surface exhibit a chemical selectivity function. Binding occurs in a test solution, with charge associated with the target material modulating at least one device characteristic. According to the present invention, measurement may occur under dry conditions, at a time and location different from when binding occurred, thus substantially eliminating problems associated with ionic shielding and reference electrodes, so prevalent with prior art wet measurement techniques. Preferably the device includes a backgate to which a bias may be applied to restore the device's pre-binding characteristics. Measurement of the restorative backgate bias provides a signal indicating binding of the desired target material. The present invention eliminates the reference electrode commonly found in prior art devices and methods. Beads, conjugates and other objects may be used to enhance charge and thus promote sensitivity. Alternatively a distributed channel bipolar device may be used as a sensor. Sensors according to the present invention may be batch produced and combined in arrays with same or differing receptors to provide rapid measurements, including differential and confirmational testing. Such an array may be combined with an electrophoresis gel material to provide enhanced sensitivity, real-time analysis of drifted charged electrophoresis molecules.

Methods and devices for enhanced biochemical sensing

A multibeam structure measures displacement of one or more response elements to detect multiple components of applied force. The flexible beams are each coupled to a response element which may be displaced by a force arising from linear acceleration, angular acceleration, fluid flow, electric/magnetic/gravitational fields, and other sources. The displacement of the response element is detected with a variety of sensing methods including capacitive and piezoresistive sensing.

Multidimensional force sensor

A multibeam structure measures displacement of one or more response elements to detect multiple components of applied force. The flexible beams are each coupled to a response element which may be displaced by a force arising from linear acceleration, angular acceleration, fluid flow, electric/magnetic/gravitational fields, and others sources. The displacement of the response element is detected with a variety of sensing methods including capacitive and piezoresistive sensing.

Growing community of inventors

Honolulu, HI, United States of America

James W Holm-Kennedy