Techniques and systems for analyte detection

• US 6,495,892 B2
• Filed: 03/26/1999
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Grubbs, Robert H., Payne, Richard S., Dickson, Jeffery, Lewis, Nathan S., Goodman, Rodney M., Koosh, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaudhuri, Olik
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wille, Douglas A.
• Application Number:
  US09/276,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20020005580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 257/414, 438/49
• US Class Current: 257/414
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0031 comprising two or more sensors, e.g. a sensor array
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

Techniques are used to detect and identify analytes. Techniques are used to fabricate and manufacture sensors to detect analytes. An analyte (810) is sensed by sensors (820) that output electrical signals in response to the analyte. The electrical signals may be preprocessed (830) by filtering and amplification. In one embodiment, a plurality of sensors are formed on a single integrated circuit. The sensors may have diverse compositions.

Claims

1. A sensor cell formed on an integrated circuit comprising:

two electrical contacts;

a vertical hurdle structure;

a sensor material constrained at a sensor site by said vertical hurdle structure and in contact with said two electrical contacts, wherein an electrical property of the sensor material changes in the presence of an analyte; and

transistor devices coupled to the sensor material to enable measurement of changes in the electrical property of the sensor material.

2. The sensor cell of claim 1 wherein the transistor devices include circuitry to determine change in resistance of the sensor material relative to a baseline resistance of the sensor material.

3. The sensor cell of claim 1 wherein the transistor devices are formed beneath the sensor site.

4. An integrated circuit comprising a plurality of sensor cells as recited in claim 1.

5. The sensor cell of claim 1 wherein the transistor devices form an amplifier circuit.

6. The sensor cell of claim 1 wherein the sensor material is a mixture of a nonconductive organic polymer and a conductive material.

7. The sensor cell of claim 1 wherein the transistor devices are formed before the sensor material is placed at the sensor site.

8. The sensor cell of claim 1 wherein the sensor material has a resistance value that changes depending on the analyte.

9. The sensor cell of claim 1 wherein the sensor material comprises carbon black.