Reducing noise and enhancing readout throughput in sensor array

• US 10,001,516 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2016
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Chia-Yu, Han, Shu-Jen
• Primary Examiner(s): He, Amy
• Application Number:
  US15/014,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20170219519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 324691, 324693
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/02 by investigating impedance
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/4148 Integrated circuits therefor, e.g. fabricated by CMOS processing CMOS processing per se H01L21/82
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0031 comprising two or more sensors, e.g. a sensor array electrochemical electrode arrays G01N27/27
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/02 Measuring real or complex resistance, reactance, impedance, or other two-pole characteristics derived therefrom, e.g. time constant by measuring phase angle only G01R25/00

Abstract

Frequency division multiplexing-based techniques for FET-based sensor arrays are provided. In one aspect, a sensor device includes: an array of FET-based sensors, wherein the sensors are grouped into multiple channels, and wherein each of the sensors includes an insulator on a substrate, a local gate embedded in the insulator, a channel material over the local embedded gate, and source and drain electrodes in contact with opposite ends of the channel material, and wherein a surface of the channel material is functionalized to react with at least one target molecule. The sensors in a given channel can be modulated (via the local gate) to enable the signal read out from the channel to be divided in the frequency domain based on the different frequencies used to modulate the sensors.

Claims

1. A sensor device comprising:

an array of field-effect transistor (FET)-based sensors, wherein the sensors are grouped into multiple channels, and wherein each of the sensors includes an insulator on a substrate, a local gate embedded in the insulator, a channel material over the local embedded gate, and source and drain electrodes in contact with opposite ends of the channel material, and wherein a surface of the channel material is functionalized to react with at least one target molecule;

transimpedance amplifiers connected to outputs of the channels; and

a time division multiplexer connected to outputs of the transimpedance amplifiers,

wherein the source electrodes of the sensors in a given one of the channels are interconnected, and wherein the drain electrodes of sensors in the given channel are interconnected to a given one of the transimpedance amplifiers,

wherein the sensors in a given channel are connected to a voltage source configured to provide a gate voltage of a different frequency to each of the sensors in the given channel such that each sensor in the given channel is run at the different frequency for frequency division multiplexing, and wherein the voltage source is configured to provide a gate voltage of a same frequency to the sensors in different channels.

2. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors further comprises:

a gate dielectric between the local gate and the channel material.

3. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the channel material is selected from the group consisting of:

carbon nanotubes, graphene, nanowires, nanosheets, and combinations thereof.

4. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensors is a biosensor.

5. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensors is a chemical sensor.

6. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the local gate is a metal gate.

7. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein a top surface of the local gate is coplanar with a top surface of the insulator.

8. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the transimpedance amplifiers are linear low noise amplifiers.

9. A sensing method, comprising the steps of:

forming a sensor device comprising;

i) an array of FET-based sensors, wherein the sensors are grouped into multiple channels, and wherein each of the sensors includes an insulator on a substrate, a local gate embedded in the insulator, a channel material over the local embedded gate, and source and drain electrodes in contact with opposite ends of the channel material, and wherein a surface of the channel material is functionalized to react with at least one target molecule, ii) transimpedance amplifiers connected to outputs of the channels, and iii) a time division multiplexer connected to outputs of the transimpedance amplifiers;

interconnecting the source electrodes of the sensors in a given one of the channels;

interconnecting the drain electrodes of sensors in the given channel to a given one of the transimpedance amplifiers;

providing a gate voltage of a different frequency to each of the sensors in the given channel such that each sensor in the given channel is run at the different frequency for frequency division multiplexing;

providing a gate voltage of a same frequency to the sensors in different channels;

reading a signal from the given channel; and

dividing the signal in the frequency domain based on the different frequency used to modulate the sensors.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the signal is read from the given channel using time-division multiplexing performed using the time division multiplexer.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

converting the signal to the frequency domain.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal is converted to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

reading the signal at each of the different frequencies used to modulate the sensors.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the channel material is selected from the group consisting of:

carbon nanotubes, graphene, nanowires, nanosheets, and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the sensors is a biosensor.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the sensors is a chemical sensor.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the local gate is a metal gate.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein a top surface of the local gate is coplanar with a top surface of the insulator.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the transimpedance amplifiers are linear low noise amplifiers.