Biosensor with smart card configuration

• US 7,566,968 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2005
• Issued: 07/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH (C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Ofner, Gerald, Woerner, Holger, Bauer, Michael, Stuempfl, Christian, Goller, Bernd, Hagen, Robert-Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang; Phuc T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Thanh Y
• Application Number:
  US11/196,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20060027905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 257/737, 257/738, 257/777, 257/778, 257/584, 257/621, 257/690, 257/734, 257/784, 361/760, 361/761, 361/764, 361/767, 361/777, 361/778, 361/803
• US Class Current: 257/734
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/027 for microfluidic devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0819 Microarrays; Biochips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0877 Flow chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/52 Supports specially adapted for flat sample carriers, e.g. for plates, slides, chips
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48785 Electrical and electronic details of measuring devices for physical analysis of liquid biological material not specific to a particular test method, e.g. user interface or power supply
• 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

A biosensor that has a smart card configuration includes a semiconductor chip including a bioactive structure and contact areas disposed on a first side of the semiconductor chip, and a rewiring substrate including contact pads, external contact areas and rewiring lines that electrically connect the contact pads to the external contact areas. The rewiring substrate covers a portion of the first side of the semiconductor chip without covering the bioactive structure, such that the rewiring substrate overlaps the contact areas of the semiconductor chip and the contact pads and the contact areas are aligned with and electrically connect to each other. In addition, a measuring apparatus is configured to receive the biosensor and conduct measurements of a fluid medium that is delivered into the measuring apparatus.

Claims

1. A biosensor comprising:

a semiconductor chip including a bioactive structure and contact areas disposed on a first side of the semiconductor chip; and

a rewiring substrate including contact pads, external contact areas and rewiring lines that electrically connect the contact pads to the external contact areas;

wherein the rewiring substrate is directly positioned on and covers a portion of the first side of the semiconductor chip without covering the bioactive structure such that the rewiring substrate overlaps the contact areas of the semiconductor chip, and the contact pads of the rewriting substrate and the contact areas of the semiconductor chip are positioned directly on, aligned with and electrically connected to each other.

2. The biosensor of claim 1, wherein the rewiring substrate surrounds the bioactive structure and includes a projecting region that projects beyond an edge of the semiconductor chip, and the external contact areas are arranged on the projecting region of the rewiring substrate.

3. The biosensor of claim 1, wherein the contact pads, external contact areas and rewiring lines are all arranged on a single side of the rewiring substrate.

4. A measuring apparatus for a biosensor having a semiconductor chip including a bioactive structure and contact areas disposed on a first side of the semiconductor chip, and a rewiring substrate including contact pads, external contact areas and rewiring lines that electrically connect the contact pads to the external contact areas, the measuring apparatus comprising:

an inlet region including an entry opening to receive a medium to be measured and an entry channel in fluid communication with the inlet region;

a fluid flow and measuring region including a measurement cavity, a measurement opening in fluid communication with the entry channel to facilitate flow of the medium into the measurement cavity, and an outflow opening in fluid communication with the measurement cavity;

an exit region including an exit opening and an exit channel extending between the outflow opening of the fluid flow and measuring region and the exit opening;

a sensing region comprising an insertion channel to receive the biosensor, and a sensing cavity including sensing contact elements;

wherein the insertion channel of the sensing region is spatially adjacent the measurement cavity of the fluid flow and measuring region such that, upon insertion of the biosensor within the measuring apparatus, the biosensor divides and separates the insertion channel from the measurement cavity;

upon insertion of the biosensor within the insertion channel of the sensing region, the sensing contact elements within the sensing cavity of the sensing region are brought into contact with the external contact areas of the biosensor; and

the rewiring substrate covers a portion of the first side of the semiconductor chip without covering the bioactive structure such that the rewiring substrate overlaps the contact areas of the semiconductor chip, and

the contact pads of the rewriting substrate and the contact areas of the semiconductor chip are aligned with and electrically connected to each other.

5. The measuring apparatus of claim 4, wherein the inlet region, the fluid flow and measuring region, the exit region, and the sensing region are all arranged in a housing of the measuring apparatus.

6. The measuring apparatus of claim 4, wherein the fluid flow and measuring region is arranged at a spatial center of the measuring apparatus.

7. The measuring apparatus of claim 4, wherein the inlet region, the fluid flow and measuring region and the exit region are all arranged within the measuring apparatus such that the force of gravity transports the medium to be measured through the measuring apparatus.

8. The measuring apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a seal arranged between the measurement cavity and the sensing cavity.

9. A method for measuring biological media samples utilizing the measuring apparatus of claim 4, the method comprising the following steps:

inserting the biosensor into the insertion channel of the measuring apparatus so as to electrically contact the external contact areas of the biosensor with the sensing contact elements of the measuring apparatus;

introducing the media sample into the entry opening of the inlet region of the measuring apparatus;

conducting measurements of the media sample with the biosensor; and

conducting at least one of storing media sample measurements on the smart card or the measuring apparatus and displaying media sample measurements.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the media sample measurements are stored, and the method further comprises:

discharging the media sample via the exit channel and the exit opening of the exit region; and

rinsing and/or disinfecting the inlet region, the fluid flow and measuring region and the exit region of the measuring apparatus.