Multi-electrode biosensor and system and method for manufacturing same

• US 5,672,256 A
• Filed: 12/08/1995
• Issued: 09/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LG Semicon Co Ltd (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LG Semicon Co Ltd (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: Yee, Hee-Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, Bruce F.
• Application Number:
  US08/569,740
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 204/403, 204/406, 204/412, 204/415, 435/817, 435/288, 435/291
• US Class Current: 422/82.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3272 Test elements therefor, i.e. disposable laminated substrates with electrodes, reagent and channels optical biosensors G01N33/52
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/817 Enzyme or microbe electrode

Abstract

A multi-electrode biosensor for sensing a material present in a sample includes a substrate, a plurality of working electrodes formed on the substrate, a counter electrode formed on the substrate, and a reference electrode formed on the substrate.

Claims

1. A multi-electrode biosensor comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of working electrodes formed on the substrate, the plurality of working electrodes including at least two active working electrodes and an inert working electrode, wherein the active working electrode includes a bioactive material and the inert working electrode is bioinactive;

a counter electrode formed on the substrate; and

a reference electrode formed on the substrate.

2. The multi-electrode biosensor according to claim 1, wherein the biomaterial includes at least one of an enzyme, an antigen, an antibody, a nucleic acid, and a molecular receptor.

3. The multi-electrode biosensor according to claim 1, wherein the biomaterial has at least one of electrochemical, optical, and piezoelectric properties.

4. A multi-electrode biosensor system comprising:

a multi-electrode biosensor including;

a substrate,

a plurality of working electrodes formed on the substrate, the plurality of working electrodes including at least two active working electrodes and an inert working electrode, wherein the active working electrode includes a bioactive material and the inert working electrode is bioinactive,

a counter electrode formed on the substrate, and

a reference electrode formed on the substrate; and

a processing circuit including an average summing portion for averaging signals from selected ones of the plurality of working electrodes.

5. The multi-electrode biosensor system according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of working electrodes include at least two active working electrodes, and wherein the average summing portion averages signals from the active working electrodes.

6. The multi-electrode biosensor system according to claim 4, wherein the average summing portion includes an amplifier and resistor.

7. The multi-electrode biosensor system according to claim 4, wherein the processing circuit further includes an amplifying portion for amplifying signals from each of the plurality of working electrodes.

8. The multi-electrode biosensor system according to claim 7, wherein the amplifying portion includes, for each of the plurality of working electrodes, an amplifier and a resistor.

9. The multi-electrode biosensor system according to claim 7, wherein the processing circuit further includes a differential amplifying portion for differentially amplifying selected ones of the signals amplified by the amplifying portion.

10. The multi-electrode biosensor system according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of working electrodes include at least two active working electrodes and an inert working electrode, wherein the amplifying portion amplifies signals from the at least two active working electrodes and the inert electrode, and wherein the differential amplifying portion differentially amplifies the amplified signals from the active working electrodes using the amplified signal from the inert working electrode as a reference signal.

11. A method for manufacturing a multi-electrode biosensor on a substrate comprising the steps of:

forming a plurality of metal conducting paths on the substrate;

forming a first base carbon electrode on a first selected one of the plurality of metal conducting paths to provide a counter electrode;

forming at least second, third, and fourth base carbon electrodes on respective second, third, and fourth selected ones of the plurality of metal conducting paths;

forming a reference electrode from a fifth selected one of the plurality of metal conducting paths;

providing a bioactive material on at least the second and third base carbon electrodes to form active working electrodes; and

providing a bioinactive material on the fourth base carbon electrode to form an inert working electrode.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of providing an insulating layer except on at least portions of the at least first, second, third, and fourth base carbon electrodes and except on at least a portion of the fifth selected one of the plurality of metal conducting paths.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of forming the reference electrode includes the step of forming Ag/AgCl on the fifth selected one of the plurality of metal conducting paths.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of providing an outer layer to be used as a buffered electrolyte system.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of providing the bioactive material on at least the second and third base carbon electrodes includes the step of applying a bioactive paste on at least the second and third base carbon electrodes, and wherein the step of providing the bioinactive material on the fourth base carbon electrode includes the step of applying a bioinactive paste on the fourth base carbon electrode.