Nano sensor

• US 9,927,391 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bao Tran
• Original Assignee: Bao Tran
• Inventors: Tran, Bao
• Primary Examiner(s): Mandala, Victor A
• Application Number:
  US15/244,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20170016850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/122 Circuits particularly adapted therefor, e.g. linearising circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/128 Microapparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/4146 involving nanosized elements, e.g. nanotubes, nanowires
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/4148 Integrated circuits therefor, e.g. fabricated by CMOS processing CMOS processing per se H01L21/82
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0034 comprising neural networks or related mathematical techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 9/14 using microscopic probe means , i.e. recording or reproducing by means directly associated with the tip of a microscopic electrical probe as used in Scanning Tunneling Microscopy [STM] or Atomic Force Microscopy [AFM] for inducing physical or electrical perturbations in a recording medium; Record carriers or media specially adapted for such transducing of information marking using electrical current B41M5/20; measuring roughness or irregularity of surfaces G01B7/34; details of scanning-probe microscopes G01Q
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/21 using electric elements
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/54 using elements simulating biological cells, e.g. neuron
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0023 Address circuits or decoders
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/004 Reading or sensing circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/02 using elements whose operation depends upon chemical change G11C13/0009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/04 using optical elements ; using other beam accessed elements, e.g. electron or ion beam
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 63/80 Arrangements comprising multiple bistable or multi-stable switching components of the same type on a plane parallel to the substrate, e.g. cross-point arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/151 the wide bandgap semiconductor comprising titanium oxide, e.g. TiO2
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/30 comprising bulk heterojunctions, e.g. interpenetrating networks of donor and acceptor material domains
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/011 Manufacture or treatment of multistable switching devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/801 Constructional details of multistable switching devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/826 : adapted for essentially vertical current flow, e.g. sandwich or pillar type devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/841 : Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 : Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/762 : Nanowire or quantum wire, i.e. axially elongated structure having two dimensions of 100 nm or less
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/775 : Nanosized powder or flake, e.g. nanosized catalyst
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/938 : Field effect transistors, FETS, with nanowire- or nanotube-channel region
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/957 : Of chemical property or presence

Abstract

A device includes an upper metallic layer, a lower layer, and a nano sensor array positioned between the upper and lower layers to detect a presence of a gas, a chemical, or a biological object, wherein each sensor'"'"'s electrical characteristic changes when encountering the gas, chemical or biological object.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

an upper layer,

a lower layer, and

a nano sensor array are vertically aligned, and the nano sensor array positioned between the upper and lower layers to detect a presence of a liquid, gas, chemical, or biological object, wherein the nano sensor array'"'"'s electrical characteristic changes when encountering the liquid and wherein a physical parameter of the nano sensor array changes to measure a quantity or a presence of the liquid, gas, chemical, or biological object concentration.

2. The device of claim 1, comprising a second array of switching medium sandwiched between the upper and lower layers and disposed in rows and columns and constructed either above or below one of the upper or lower layers.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a driver circuit for selectively controlling first signal electrodes or second signal electrodes.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the nano sensor array includes one or more of a sense amplifier, an input-output buffer, an X address decoder, a Y address decoder, and an analog buffer.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a silicon-on-insulator wafer.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the nano sensor array characterizes salive, blood, or a body fluid.

7. The device of claim 1, comprising multiple levels of stacked cells each having a switching medium sandwiched between the upper and lower layers.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is compatible with CMOS fabrication.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising an array of redundant sensor elements.

10. The device of claim 1, comprising gold electrodes.

11. The device of claim 1 comprising a selectively permeable layer formed above the nano sensor array.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein, the upper or lower layer is a gas sensitive film containing or covering sensors.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein for sensing air quality, comprising a sensor film readily oxidized (by NO₂ or O₂) or reduced (by CO or NH₃).

14. The device of claim 1, comprising a matrix film on the nano sensor array, wherein upon oxidation or reduction, a physical parameter of the matrix film changes to measure concentration.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the nano sensor array is ultrasonically activated.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the nano sensor array is deposited over an ultrasonic vibrator.

17. The device of claim 16, comprising an oscillator.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein bulk wave detection is used to detect mass loading that occurs when minute quantities of materials are deposited over a surface of the oscillator.

19. A device, comprising:

an upper metallic layer,

a lower layer, and

a nano sensor positioned between the upper metallic layer and the lower layer, wherein the upper metallic layer, the lower layer, and the nano sensor are vertically aligned, wherein the nano sensor comprises a physical parameter that changes to measure liquid, gas, chemical, or biological object concentration.

20. An electronic device, comprising:

a first layer fabricated in silicon using semiconductor fabrication techniques;

a second layer formed on the first layer;

a nano sensor array formed on the second layer; and

an upper layer formed on the nano sensor array, wherein the first layer, the second layer, the nano sensor array, and the upper layer are vertically aligned, wherein the nano sensor array'"'"'s property changes when encountering a liquid, gas, chemical, or biological object.