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Novel Biological Sensors a Focus of Devices Conference
 Novel Biological Sensors a Focus of Devices Conference 12/28/2007 The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recent International Electron Devices Meeting in Washington, D.C., revealed promising developments in a variety of sensors. For instance, researchers at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and Ajou University, Korea, have developed a unique portable cancer diagnostic system, based on a thin film ZnO surface acoustic wave device, with integrated functions of microfluidic transport, mixing and bio-detection. The device is easily integrated with electronic control circuitry and can be fabricated at low temperatures on Si, glass or even polymer substrates. The system has the advantages of having low cost and high performance. Such a system is targeted at both the consumer market for self-diagnosis and the professional healthcare market for real-time diagnosis in a hospital or clinical environment. Another type of sensor for high resolution large-area digital X-ray imaging has been developed at Canada’s Simon Fraser University. The sensor is based on a novel active-pixel architecture and two thin-film transistors. This approach provides a faster frame rate and a higher image resolution because of fewer on-pixel elements and less pixel complexity. The architecture is promising for high-resolution, high-speed imaging modalities such as digital tomosynthesis, which creates a 3-dimensional picture of the breast using X-rays. Currently, digital tomosynthesis is available only for research purposes. Silicon chips are also being developed for several applications. Japan’s Tohoku University has fabricated a fully implantable retinal prosthesis chip that includes a photodetector and stimulating current generator. This retinal chip with flexible cable and stimulating electrode array was successfully implanted into a rabbit eyeball. The device shows promise for recovering visual sensation of blind patients. Another application of silicon biochips is the study, stimulation and manipulation of single cells, whose viability and adhesion are usually studied via subjective microscope observations. Researchers at Italy’s Universita di Padova have developed an accurate model of the biochip/cell system which allows to quantitatively correlate cell health and membrane morphology to its measured impedance. Nanotechnology is also playing a role in chemical sensing. Joint research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge has developed micro-fabricated double-gated isolated vertically aligned carbon nanofiber arrays for ionization of gasses in low power portable mass spectrometers. When operated as an electron impact ionizer, power dissipation was reduced from >1 W to <100 mW. When operated as a field ionizer, the turn-on voltage for field ionization is reduced from 5-10 kV to 350 V. << Back to News |
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