Disease diagnosis apparatus and method using photocurrent of amorphous silicon

• US 7,662,613 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Park, Se-Ho, Jung, Moon-Youn, Pyo, Hyeon-Bong
• Primary Examiner(s): Lam; Ann Y
• Application Number:
  US12/099,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20090017458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 435/287.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/305 optically transparent or photoresponsive electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54373 involving physiochemical end-point determination, e.g. wave-guides, FETS, gratings

Abstract

Provided is a disease diagnosis apparatus and method for detecting a specific disease. The disease diagnosis chip, includes: a light sensing layer; a probe molecule fixed on the light sensing layer; and an electrode connected to the light sensing layer to detect an electric signal corresponding to photoelectric charges of the light sensing layer.

Claims

1. A disease diagnosis chip, comprising:

a light sensing layer formed of hydrogenated amorphous silicon;

a probe molecule fixed on the light sensing layer; and

an electrode formed on a top surface of the light sensing layer for detecting an electric signal corresponding to photoelectric charges of the light sensing layer, the top surface facing the probe molecule.

2. The disease diagnosis chip of claim 1, further comprising:

a light transmitting layer disposed on the light sensing layer to cover the electrode and the light sensing layer.

3. The disease diagnosis chip of claim 2, wherein the light transmitting layer is formed of silicon dioxide (SiO₂).

4. The disease diagnosis chip of claim 1, further comprising:

a light blocking layer disposed on the light sensing layer in a region other than a region where the probe molecule is fixed.

5. The disease diagnosis chip of claim 1, further comprising:

a fluid tube covering the probe molecule and guiding an introduced sample to the probe molecule.

6. The disease diagnosis chip of claim 5, wherein the fluid tube is formed of a light transmitting material.

7. The disease diagnosis chip of claim 5, wherein the fluid tube is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and cyclic olefin copolymer (COC).

8. The disease diagnosis chip of claim 1, wherein the probe molecule is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of antigen, antibody, DNA, RNA, lectin, protein, peptides, and saccharide.

9. The disease diagnosis chip of claim 1, further comprising:

an amperemeter or voltmeter measuring the electric signal corresponding to an electric signal corresponding to the photoelectric charges generated from the light sensing layer.

10. A disease diagnosis apparatus, comprising:

a disease diagnosis chip including;

a light sensing layer formed of hydrogenated amorphous silicon;

a probe molecule directly fixed on the light sensing layer; and

an electrode formed on a top surface of the light sensing layer for detecting an electric signal corresponding to photoelectric charges of the light sensing layer, the top surface facing the probe molecule; and

a body in which the disease diagnosis chip is fixed, the body including;

a sample inlet where a sample is introduced;

a channel for guiding the introduced sample to the disease diagnosis chip; and

a measuring device for measuring a photocurrent generated from the disease diagnosis chip.

11. The disease diagnosis apparatus of claim 10, wherein two or more disease diagnosis chips are provided for determining if a plurality of diseases exist and measuring the target molecule.

12. The disease diagnosis apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the two or more disease diagnosis chips is a test chip for testing if an error occurs in an antigen-antibody reaction.

13. The disease diagnosis apparatus of claim 10, wherein the measuring device has a function of converting the measured photocurrent value into a quantitative digital value.