Fin-FET sensor with improved sensitivity and specificity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9810660-B2
Application number	US-201113876958-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2011
Priority date	Sep 29, 2010
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

The claimed invention is directed to a finFET biosensor with improved sensitivity and selectivity. Embodiments of the invention are also directed to finFET biosensor arrays, methods for operating finFET biosensors with improved sensitivity and selectivity, and methods of operating finFET biosensor arrays.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A finFET biosensor, comprising:
a semiconductor layer on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate;
a transistor source;
a transistor drain;
one or more finFET nanochannels formed in said semiconductor layer, wherein said nanochannels connect said transistor source and said transistor drain;
a gate dielectric covering a portion of said one or more nanochannels;
a sample channel; and
a sensor region further comprising a sensor molecule, wherein said sensor molecule is coupled to said gate dielectric, and further wherein the sensor region is located within the sample channel.

2. The finFET biosensor of claim 1 further comprising a layer of anti-adhesion protective molecules that coat the surface of said sample channel outside of said sensor region.

3. The finFET biosensor of claim 2 where said layer of anti-adhesion protective molecules is composed of polyelthylene glocol (PEG) terminated self assembled monolayers, benzene terminated self assembled monolayers, fluorocarbon molecules, or a thin layer of resists comprising at least one of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or S1813.

4. The finFET biosensor of claim 1 where said sensor molecule is an antibody, an antigen, a protein, a receptor, an aptamer, a peptide, a DNA strand, or an enzyme.

5. The finFET biosensor of claim 1 where said sensor molecule is an antibody.

6. The finFET biosensor of claim 1 where said sensor molecule is an antigen.

7. The finFET biosensor of claim 1 further comprising a biasing electrode.

8. The finFET biosensor of claim 1 where said finFET is a nmos or pmos enhancement mode transistor.

9. The finFET biosensor of claim 1 where said finFET is a nmos or pmos depletion mode transistor.

10. The finFET biosensor of claim 1 where said gate dielectric is composed of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, Al 2 O 3 , HfO 2 , or silicon oxynitride, and the gate dielectric has a thickness of 0.5-20 nm.

11. The finFET biosensor of claim 1 where said sensor molecule is coupled to said gate dielectric using a linker molecule.

12. A finFET biosensor, comprising:
a substrate comprising a semiconductor layer on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) material;
a transistor source directly on the substrate and extending away from a surface of the substrate;
a transistor drain directly on the substrate and extending away from the surface of the substrate;
one or more finFET nanochannels formed in said semiconductor layer, wherein said one or more nanochannels connect said transistor source and said transistor drain, wherein the one or more nanochannels are directly on the substrate and extend away from the surface of the substrate;
a gate dielectric disposed directly on the one or more nanochannels;
a sample channel, wherein the one or more finFET nanochannels are within the sample channel; and
a sensor region further comprising a sensor molecule, wherein said sensor molecule is coupled to said gate dielectric, and further wherein the sensor region is located within the sample channel.

13. The finFET biosensor of claim 12 further comprising a layer of anti-adhesion protective molecules that coat the surface of said sample channel outside of said sensor region.

14. The finFET biosensor of claim 13 where said layer of anti-adhesion protective molecules is composed of polyelthylene glocol (PEG) terminated self assembled monolayers, benzene terminated self assembled monolayers, fluorocarbon molecules, or a thin layer of resists comprising at least one of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or S1813.

15. The finFET biosensor of claim 12 where said sensor molecule is an antibody, an antigen, a protein, a receptor, an aptamer, a peptide, a DNA strand, or an enzyme.

16. The finFET biosensor of claim 12 where said sensor molecule is an antibody.

17. The finFET biosensor of claim 12 where said sensor molecule is an antigen.

18. The finFET biosensor of claim 12 further comprising a biasing electrode.

19. The finFET biosensor of claim 12 where said finFET is a nmos or pmos enhancement mode transistor.

20. The finFET biosensor of claim 12 where said finFET is a nmos or pmos depletion mode transistor.

21. The finFET biosensor of claim 12 where said sensor molecule is coupled to said gate dielectric using a linker molecule.

Assignees

• Hu Wenchuang
• Tian Ruhai
• Regonda Suresh
• Trivedi Krutarth B
• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Hu Wenchuang
• Tian Ruhai
• Regonda Suresh
• Trivedi Krutarth B

Classifications

• H10D30/62

  Fin field-effect transistors [FinFET] · CPC title

• H01L27/1211

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L29/785

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01N27/4145 Primary

  specially adapted for biomolecules, e.g. gate electrode with immobilised receptors · CPC title

• G01N27/4146 Primary

  involving nanosized elements, e.g. nanotubes, nanowires · CPC title