THREE-DIMENSIONAL METAL ION SENSOR ARRAYS ON PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS

• US 20100176006A1
• Filed: 08/14/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Incorporated
• Inventors: Williams, John R., Reiter, Andrew, Harjes, Daniel I., Bickford, James A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,011,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 205/792.500
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/333 Ion-selective electrodes or membranes glass electrodes G01N27/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3335 the membrane containing at least one organic component G01N27/3271 takes precedence; aspects concerning the enzyme reagent in enzyme electrodes C12Q1/001
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor

Abstract

An electronic device includes a substrate and a plurality of sensors. Each sensor is disposed in a well over the substrate and includes a working electrode, an inner filling solution disposed thereover, and an ion-selective membrane. The working electrode is in contact with the substrate and the ion-selective membrane is disposed over the inner filling solution and substantially seals the well.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a) a substrate; and

b) a plurality of sensors, each disposed within a well over the substrate and comprising;

i) a working electrode in contact with the substrate;

ii) an inner filling solution disposed over the working electrode; and

iii) an ion-selective membrane disposed over the inner filling solution and substantially sealing the well.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a silver chloride coating on the working electrode.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the inner filling solution comprises or consists essentially of a hydrogel.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the ion-selective membrane comprises polyvinyl chloride.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

c) a second plurality of sensors, each disposed within a well under the substrate and comprising;

i) a working electrode in contact with the substrate;

ii) an inner filling solution disposed over the working electrode; and

iii) an ion-selective membrane disposed over the inner filling solution and substantially sealing the well.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a cover disposed over a sub-array of the plurality of sensors, the cover comprising or consisting essentially of solder or a shape-memory alloy.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising, electrically connected to at least one sensor, at least one of an amplifier, a conditioner, a microprocessor, a memory device, a power source, or a transmitter.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein each well is disposed within a plate disposed over and in direct contact with the substrate.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein each well comprises a non-vertical sidewall.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises one of a printed circuit board or a ground plane.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the inner filling solution comprises a liquid i) having a boiling point higher than 100°

C. and ii) capable of conducting ions.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a first sensor further comprises an ion-conductive filter disposed over the ion-selective membrane.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a micro-fluidic front end for delivering a sample solution to the plurality of sensors.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the micro-fluidic front end comprises a micro-fluidic channel for temporally separating particles of different mass in the sample solution.

15. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors is arranged in a two-dimensional array.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the two-dimensional array temporally separates particles of different mass in a sample solution.

17. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors is arranged in a three-dimensional array.

18. An ion-sensitive electrode comprising:

an ion-selective membrane for filtering an ion;

a transducer for converting a potential of the ion into an electrical potential;

a working electrode for measuring the electric potential; and

a solid-phase detection layer disposed over the ion-selective membrane, the solid-phase detection layer for dissolving a solid particle, thereby producing the ion.

19. The ion-sensitive electrode of claim 18, wherein the solid-phase detection layer comprises a hydrogel.

20. The ion-sensitive electrode of claim 18, wherein the solid-phase detection layer comprises methacrylamide or a similar chemical.

21. A coated-wire ion-selective electrode comprising:

an inner filling solution;

an electrically conductive wire disposed within the inner filling solution;

an ion-selective membrane sealing the inner filling solution; and

a transducer for converting a potential of an ion filtered by the ion-selective membrane into an electrical potential for measurement by the wire.

22. The coated-wire ion-selective electrode of claim 21, wherein the inner filling solution is a hydrogel.

23. The coated-wire ion-selective electrode of claim 21, wherein the wire comprises silver chloride.

24. The coated-wire ion-selective electrode of claim 21, further comprising a plurality of coated-wire ion-selective electrodes arranged in one of a two-dimensional array or a three-dimensional array.

25. A method for fabricating an electronic device, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of working electrodes over a substrate;

forming a plurality of wells over the substrate, each well substantially aligned with a working electrode;

forming an inner filling solution within at least one well; and

substantially sealing each well with an ion-selective membrane.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the plurality of wells is disposed within a plate disposed over and in direct contact with the substrate, and wherein substantially sealing each well comprises:

disposing the ion-selective membrane over the well and in contact with a portion of the plate; and

dissolving at least a portion of the ion-selective membrane and the portion of the plate in contact with the ion-selective membrane.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the dissolving comprises applying a solvent.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising forming a solid-phase detection layer over at least one well.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising forming a cover over a sub-array of the plurality of wells.

30. A method of detecting an analyte, the method comprising:

a) disposing a plurality of sensors within an ambient comprising a first analyte, each sensor comprising;

a working electrode;

an inner filling solution disposed in contact with the working electrode; and

an ion-selective membrane disposed in contact with the inner filling solution, the ion-selective membrane sealing the inner filling solution from the ambient; and

b) measuring an electromotive force resulting from passage of the first analyte into the ion-selective membrane of at least one sensor.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is disposed within a well over a substrate.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the working electrode is an electrically conductive wire.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the first analyte comprises a solid particle and the solid particle is dissolved by a solid-phase detection layer disposed in contact with the ion-selective membrane.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the inner filling solution comprises a high-boiling point fluid.

35. The method of claim 30, further comprising separating the first analyte from the ambient, prior to measuring the electromotive force, based on a mass of the first analyte.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein a cover is disposed over a sub-array of the plurality of sensors.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising removing the cover before measuring the electromotive force.

38. The method of claim 30, further comprising transmitting a signal corresponding to the electromotive force to a remote location.

39. The method of claim 30, further comprising measuring an electromotive force resulting from passage of a second analyte in the ambient through the ion-selective membrane of at least one sensor.