Chemical/ biological sensors employing functionalized nanoswitch array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9606148-B2
Application number	US-201313850366-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2013
Priority date	Mar 26, 2012
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

Sensor devices disclosed herein allow multiple analytes or organisms to be individually tagged and selectively detected. When a binding event occurs one or more nanoswitches close and the corresponding array resistance value produces a voltage imbalance in the Wheatstone Bridge. The voltage detected by the voltage meter will then exhibit unique value change corresponding to the particular nanoswitche(s) in the array that are closed due to a binding event. Similarly the same functionalization chemistry can be used on all nanoswitches so that the voltage detected by the voltage meter corresponds to concentration levels of the target analyte. Multiple functionalization chemistries on each switch can also be used to improve selectivity for more complex analytes. In some disclosed embodiments, the Wheatstone bridge voltage is tied to a predetermined resistance change rather than to smaller resistance changes that would occur from functionalization of one leg of a nanowire Wheatstone bridge.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor device comprising: a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensing resistive electrical paths electrically arranged in parallel across sensor array electrical terminals, each sensing resistive electrical path having a resistance value and a sensing switch that opens or closes the resistive electrical path responsive to the sensing switch detecting an analyte or organism of interest, wherein the sensing switch of each sensing resistive electrical path is normally closed and opens the sensing resistive electrical path responsive to the sensing switch detecting the analyte or organism of interest.

2. A sensor device, comprising:
a sensor array comprising:
a plurality of sensing resistive electrical paths electrically arranged in parallel across sensor array electrical terminals, each sensing resistive electrical path having a resistance value and a sensing switch that opens or closes the resistive electrical path responsive to the sensing switch detecting an analyte or organism of interest; and
a default resistive electrical path electrically arranged in parallel with the plurality of sensing resistive electrical paths across the sensor array electrical terminals, the default resistive electrical path having a default resistance value;

wherein if all sensing switches are open then the sensor array has the default resistance value across the sensor array electrical terminals; and
wherein if one or more sensing switches are closed then the sensor array has a resistance value across the sensor array electrical terminals equal to a parallel electrical combination of the default resistance value and the resistance value or values of the sensing resistive electrical path or paths whose sensing switch is closed.

3. The sensor device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a Wheatstone bridge having four legs wherein the sensor array is one of the four legs and is electrically connected into the Wheatstone bridge by the sensor array electrical terminals.

4. The sensor device of claim 3 , wherein the four legs of the Wheatstone bridge further include a nulling leg comprising an adjustable resistance that is adjusted to null a voltage output of the Wheatstone bridge, an output of the sensor being equal to or based upon the value of the adjustable resistance.

5. The sensor device of claim 4 , wherein the four legs of the Wheatstone bridge are configured such that adjusting the adjustable resistance of the nulling leg to equal the resistance value across the sensor array electrical terminals nulls the voltage output of the Wheatstone bridge.

6. The sensor device of claim 2 , wherein the sensor array includes N sensing resistive electrical paths, where N is an integer greater than or equal to two, with N different resistance values for the N different sensing resistive electrical paths selected such that the sensor array has a resistance value across the sensor array electrical terminals that encodes which if any of the N sensing resistive electrical paths is closed.

7. The sensor device of claim 6 , wherein different sensing resistive electrical paths of the sensor array include sensing switches that detect different analytes or organisms of interest such that the sensor array has a resistance value across the sensor array electrical terminals that encodes which if any of the different analytes or organisms of interest are detected by the sensor device.

8. The sensor device of claim 7 , wherein the sensor array has a resistance value across the sensor array electrical terminals that encodes one of 2 N+1 levels representing one of the 2 N possible combinations of presence or absence of the different analytes or organisms of interest.

9. The sensor device of claim 6 , wherein different sensing resistive electrical paths of the sensor array include sensing switches that detect different concentrations of the analyte or organism of interest such that the sensor array has a resistance value across the sensor array electrical terminals that encodes one of N+1 discrete concentration levels of the analyte or organism of interest.

10. The sensor device of claim 6 , wherein the sensor array has a resistance value across the sensor array electrical terminals that encodes one of 2 N+1 levels including a zero level representing one of the 2 N possible configurations of the sensor array.

11. A sensor device comprising:
a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensing resistive electrical paths electrically arranged in parallel across sensor array electrical terminals, each sensing resistive electrical path having a resistance value and a sensing switch that opens or closes the resistive electrical path responsive to the sensing switch detecting an analyte or organism of interest; and
a Wheatstone bridge having four legs wherein the sensor array is one of the four legs and is electrically connected into the Wheatstone bridge by the sensor array electrical terminals.

12. The sensor device of claim 11 , wherein the four legs of the Wheatstone bridge further include a nulling leg comprising an adjustable resistance that is adjusted to null a voltage output of the Wheatstone bridge, an output of the sensor being equal to or based upon the value of the adjustable resistance.

13. The sensor device of claim 12 , wherein the four legs of the Wheatstone bridge are configured such that adjusting the adjustable resistance of the nulling leg to equal the resistance value across the sensor array electrical terminals nulls the voltage output of the Wheatstone bridge.

14. A sensor device comprising:
a sensor array comprising N different sensing resistive electrical paths electrically arranged in parallel across sensor array electrical terminals, each sensing resistive electrical path having a resistance value and a sensing switch that opens or closes the resistive electrical path responsive to the sensing switch detecting an analyte or organism of interest, where N is an integer greater than or equal to two, with N different resistance values for the N different sensing resistive electrical paths selected such that the sensor array has a resistance value across the sensor array electrical terminals that encodes which if any of the N sensing resistive electrical paths is closed.

15. The sensor device of claim 14 , further comprising:
a Wheatstone bridge having four legs wherein the sensor array is one of the four legs and is electrically connected into the Wheatstone bridge by the sensor array electrical terminals.

16. The sensor device of claim 15 , wherein the four legs of the Wheatstone bridge further include a nulling leg comprising an adjustable resistance that is adjusted to null a voltage output of the Wheatstone bridge, an output of the sensor being equal to or based upon the value of the adjustable resistance.

17. The sensor device of claim 16 , wherein the four legs of the Wheatstone bridge are configured such that adjusting the adjustable resistance of the nulling leg to equal the resistance value across the sensor array electrical terminals nulls the voltage output of the Wheatstone bridge.

18. The sensor device of claim 15 , further comprising a voltage source connected to apply a voltage to the Wheatstone bridge.

19. The sensor device of claim 18 , wherein the voltage source comprises a rectifying antenna converting microwave energy to generate the voltage applied to the Wheatstone bridge.

Assignees

• Battelle Memorial Institute

Inventors

• House Larry J

Classifications

• G01R17/105 Primary

  for measuring impedance or resistance · CPC title

• G01N27/3278 Primary

  involving nanosized elements, e.g. nanogaps or nanoparticles (nanopores G01N33/48721; magnetic beads G01N27/745) · CPC title