Introduction to BioMEMS & Medical Microdevices

Sensor Principles and Microsensors Part 2

Companion lecture to the textbook: Fundamentals of BioMEMS and Medical Microdevices, by
Dr. Steven S. Saliterman, www.tc.umn.edu/~drsteve

Electrochemical Sensors

Potentiometry Sensors

Ion selective electrodes (ISE) into the nanodimension range

New ion recognition chemistries
New ion selective membranes
Importance of the reference electrode

Voltametric Sensors

Carbon paste electrodes (CPE) for organic

molecule detection
Micro and Ultramicro electrodes
Environmental monitoring
Carbon nanotubules
Stripping voltammetry

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Privett, Benjamin J., Jae H. Shin, and Mark H. Schoenfisch. 2010.

Electrochemical Sensors. Analytical Chemistry 82, no. 12:4723-4741.

Electrochemical Sensors

Electrochemical Biosensors

Immunosensors

Selective and sensitive biological binding

Aptamer-based biosensors
Glucose, creatinine, pathologic bacteria, DNA
Enzyme biosensors
Bacteria, virus and cancer biomarkers

Ion Selective Field Effect Transistors

Based on the electrochemical phenomena

occurring within the chemically sensitive membrane
placed on top of the transistor gate and on
electrical transduction of the signal by this
semiconductor device.

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Privett, Benjamin J., Jae H. Shin, and Mark H. Schoenfisch. 2010.

Electrochemical Sensors. Analytical Chemistry 82, no. 12:4723-4741.

Ion Selective FET

Photocurable polymers have been used for

encapsulation of ion selective field effect
transistors (ISFET) and for membrane formation
in chemical sensitive field effect transistors
(ChemFET).
Charge Carriers In
D

Charge Carriers Out

D
G

S
P- Channel

S
N- Channel

Shown: Insulated Gate Field-Effect Transistor

(IGFET). MOSFET (metal oxide is common).

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Abramova, Natalia, and Andrei Bratov. 2009. Photocurable Polymers for Ion Selective
Field Effect Transistors. 20 Years of Applications. Sensors 9, no. 9:7097-7110.

Electric Field Allows Electron Flow

- - - -+ -+ +--+

+ + + +

Silicon (Semiconductor)

- - - - - - - +

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

+ + + + + + +
+

ISFET Fabrication

Polyimide covered by a standard photoresist and photocurable

epoxy acrylate.
The polymer layer after being applied to a wire bonded sensor
glued to some substrate can be patterned using traditional
photolithography techniques.
Left: ISFET with photocurable encapsulate (1), with openings
over the gate (2), contact pads (3) and scribing lines (4).
Center and Right: Mounting, wire bonding and encapsulation.
3mm opening

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Abramova, Natalia, and Andrei Bratov. 2009. Photocurable Polymers for Ion Selective
Field Effect Transistors. 20 Years of Applications. Sensors 9, no. 9:7097-7110.

Membrane Formation

The best known method of ISFET membrane

formation comes from traditional ion selective
electrodes and is based on using a polymer
matrix which is deposited over an ISFET gate
and contains the required ion active
components, like ionophore, plasticizer and
lipophilic additives.
Achievements in development of traditional ISE
with liquid inner contact resulted in hundreds of
different membrane compositions that can be
used as well in case of ISFETs.
Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Abramova, Natalia, and Andrei Bratov. 2009. Photocurable Polymers for Ion Selective
Field Effect Transistors. 20 Years of Applications. Sensors 9, no. 9:7097-7110.

Applied Polymer and Analyte

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Abramova, Natalia, and Andrei Bratov. 2009. Photocurable Polymers for Ion Selective
Field Effect Transistors. 20 Years of Applications. Sensors 9, no. 9:7097-7110.

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Abramova, Natalia, and Andrei Bratov. 2009. Photocurable Polymers for Ion Selective
Field Effect Transistors. 20 Years of Applications. Sensors 9, no. 9:7097-7110.

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Abramova, Natalia, and Andrei Bratov. 2009. Photocurable Polymers for Ion Selective
Field Effect Transistors. 20 Years of Applications. Sensors 9, no. 9:7097-7110.

Optical Sensors

Optical chemical sensors are usually configured as

transducers, with transductions steps of electricaloptical-chemical-optical-electrical conversion:

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Boisde, G. and A. Harmer, Chemical and Biochemical Sensing with Optical

Fibers and Waveguides, Artech House, Boston (1996)

Optical Fiber Blood Pressure Sensor

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Esashi, Masayoshi. 2012. Revolution of Sensors in Micro-Electromechanical

Systems. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics 51, no. 8:080001.

Optical Fibers

An optical fiber consists of a solid cylindrical core of

transparent material surrounded by a cladding of
similar material but of lower refractive index than the
core:

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Refractive Index & Snells Law

The refractive index is the ratio of the speed of light in

a vacuum to the speed of light in the medium:

cvacuum
1
n=
cmaterial

Snells law defines the relationship between incident

and refracted light, measured as an angle from a
perpendicular to the surface:

ni sin I = nr sin R

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Critical Angle

Refraction can not take place when the angle of

incidence is too large, or greater than the critical
angle. For air (refractive index of 1) and glass
(refractive index of 1.5), the critical angle is defined as:

qc = arcsin( nr / ni ) = 41.8

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Acceptance Angle

The acceptance angle is the angle over which light

rays entering the fiber will be guided along its core:

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Numeric Aperture

Numeric Aperture (NA) is the light gathering ability of

a fiber. The material NA relates to the refractive
indices of the core and cladding:

NA = n02 - n12 = sin q = n0 sin qc

Where
n0 is the core index,
n1 is the cladding index, and
q is half the acceptance angle, and
qc is the confinement angle.
Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Modes

Light propagates through the core in a series of wave

fronts or modes.

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Sterling, D.J., Technicians Guide to Fiber Optics, 3rd ed. Delmar

Publishers, Albany, N.Y. (2000)

Applications in Medicine

Glucose and anticoagulation monitoring:

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Images courtesy of LifeScan, Inc. and HemoSense, Inc.

Temperature:

Image courtesy of Braun

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Harsanyi, G., Sensors in Biomedical Applications, Technology and

Applications. Technomic Pub. Co., Lancaster, PA (2000)

Pressure:

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Fraden, J. Noncontact temperature measurement in medicine.

Bioinstrumentation and Biosensors, D.L. Wise, Ed, Marcel Dekker (1991).

Intraocular pressure:

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Bergveld, A.P., The merit od using silicon for the development of hearing aid
microphones and intraocular pressure sensors. Senors and Actuators 41:42, pp.
223-229 (1994)

Pulse oximetry:

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Parker, D. Sensors for monitoring blood gasses in intensive care.

J Phys. E. Sci. Instrum. 20, pp. 1103-1112 (1987).

Respiratory spirometry and CO2:

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Implanted pacemaker and rhythm monitor:

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP

Summary

Electrochemical Sensors

Ion Selective Field Effect Transistors (ISFET)

and Chemical Sensitive FET (ChemFET).
Optical Sensors

Potentiometry Sensors
Voltametric Sensors
Electrochemcial Biosensors
Immunosensors

Optical chemical sensors

Fiber optics

Clinical Applications

Steven S. Saliterman, MD, FACP