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Thin-Film Transistors for Biomedical and Chemical Sensing

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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2018) | Viewed by 35221

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Prof. Dr. Jian-Jang Huang

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Guest Editor

Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics, National Taiwan University, 1, Roosevelt Road, Sec. 4, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Interests: metal oxide thin-film transistors; biosensors; nitride based semiconductor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the rapid research progress in biological elements, there is a strong demand for low-cost biochips with the capability of massive parallel detection for the prognosis of disease and drug discovery, etc. The modern development of electronic and optoelectronic devices further enables people to develop real-time high-sensitivity sensor arrays. Among those devices, field effect transistor biosensors (FET biosensors) have attracted great attention because they can detect tiny electrical charge difference from biomolecules using very high sensitivity current or voltage meters. The transistor can also be used for signal readout thanks to its transconductance properties. Thin-film transistor (TFT) arrays have already been widely employed in the flat-panel display industry, making the mass-production of TFT sensors available for bio-medical applications.

This Special Issue aims to cover developments in TFT sensors for bio-medical and chemical detection. You are invited to submit manuscripts illustrating newly developed TFT sensors, as well as manuscripts describing novel applications of TFT sensors in solving real life analytical problems.

Prof. Jian-Jang Huang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Thin-film transistors
Metal oxide materials
Amorphous silicon thin-film transistors
Low-temperature poly-silicon thin-film transistors
Organic thin-film transistors
Biosensors
Optical sensors
Bio-chips
Biomolecular Detection Technology
Microfluidic channels
Sensors

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 2984 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Moisture-Reactive Hydrophilic-PTFE-Based Flexible Humidity Sensor for Real-Time Monitoring

by Heekyeong Park, Sungho Lee, Seok Hwan Jeong, Ui Hyun Jung, Kidong Park, Min Goo Lee, Sunkook Kim and Joonhyung Lee

Sensors 2018, 18(3), 921; https://doi.org/10.3390/s18030921 - 20 Mar 2018

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 6707

Abstract

Flexible sensors connected to cell phones are a promising technology that can aid in continuously monitoring signals in our daily lives, such as an individual’s health status and information from buildings, farms, and industry. Among such signals, real-time humidity monitoring is crucial to a comfortable life, as human bodies, plants, and industrial environments require appropriate humidity to be maintained. We propose a hydrophilic polytetrafluoroethylene (H-PTFE)-based flexible humidity sensor integrated with readout circuitry, wireless communication, and a mobile battery. To enhance its sensitivity, linearity, and reliability, treatment with sodium hydroxide implements additional hydroxyl (OH) groups, which further enhance the sensitivity, create a strong linearity with respect to variations in relative humidity, and produce a relatively free hysteresis. Furthermore, to create robust mechanical stability, cyclic upward bending was performed for up to 3000 cycles. The overall electrical and mechanical results demonstrate that the flexible real-time H-PTFE humidity sensor system is suitable for applications such as wearable smart devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin-Film Transistors for Biomedical and Chemical Sensing)

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14 pages, 3911 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Frequency Response of Graphene Electrolyte-Gated Field-Effect Transistors

by Charles Mackin, Elaine McVay and Tomás Palacios

Sensors 2018, 18(2), 494; https://doi.org/10.3390/s18020494 - 07 Feb 2018

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 7384

Abstract

This work develops the first frequency-dependent small-signal model for graphene electrolyte-gated field-effect transistors (EGFETs). Graphene EGFETs are microfabricated to measure intrinsic voltage gain, frequency response, and to develop a frequency-dependent small-signal model. The transfer function of the graphene EGFET small-signal model is found to contain a unique pole due to a resistive element, which stems from electrolyte gating. Intrinsic voltage gain, cutoff frequency, and transition frequency for the microfabricated graphene EGFETs are approximately 3.1 V/V, 1.9 kHz, and 6.9 kHz, respectively. This work marks a critical step in the development of high-speed chemical and biological sensors using graphene EGFETs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin-Film Transistors for Biomedical and Chemical Sensing)

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10 pages, 2285 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photo-Induced Room-Temperature Gas Sensing with a-IGZO Based Thin-Film Transistors Fabricated on Flexible Plastic Foil

by Stefan Knobelspies, Benedikt Bierer, Alwin Daus, Alain Takabayashi, Giovanni Antonio Salvatore, Giuseppe Cantarella, Alvaro Ortiz Perez, Jürgen Wöllenstein, Stefan Palzer and Gerhard Tröster

Sensors 2018, 18(2), 358; https://doi.org/10.3390/s18020358 - 26 Jan 2018

Cited by 58 | Viewed by 9254

Abstract

We present a gas sensitive thin-film transistor (TFT) based on an amorphous Indium–Gallium–Zinc–Oxide (a-IGZO) semiconductor as the sensing layer, which is fabricated on a free-standing flexible polyimide foil. The photo-induced sensor response to NO₂ gas at room temperature and the cross-sensitivity to humidity are investigated. We combine the advantages of a transistor based sensor with flexible electronics technology to demonstrate the first flexible a-IGZO based gas sensitive TFT. Since flexible plastic substrates prohibit the use of high operating temperatures, the charge generation is promoted with the help of UV-light absorption, which ultimately triggers the reversible chemical reaction with the trace gas. Furthermore, the device fabrication process flow can be directly implemented in standard TFT technology, allowing for the parallel integration of the sensor and analog or logical circuits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin-Film Transistors for Biomedical and Chemical Sensing)

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5154 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Sub-30 mpH Resolution Thin Film Transistor-Based Nanoribbon Biosensing Platform

by Ioannis Zeimpekis, Konstantinos I. Papadimitriou, Kai Sun, Chunxiao Hu, Peter Ashburn, Hywel Morgan and Themistoklis Prodromakis

Sensors 2017, 17(9), 2000; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17092000 - 01 Sep 2017

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4908

Abstract

We present a complete biosensing system that comprises a Thin Film Transistor (TFT)-based nanoribbon biosensor and a low noise, high-performance bioinstrumentation platform, capable of detecting sub-30 mpH unit changes, validated by an enzymatic biochemical reaction. The nanoribbon biosensor was fabricated top-down with an ultra-thin (15 nm) polysilicon semiconducting channel that offers excellent sensitivity to surface potential changes. The sensor is coupled to an integrated circuit (IC), which combines dual switched-capacitor integrators with high precision analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Throughout this work, we employed both conventional pH buffer measurements as well as urea-urease enzymatic reactions for benchmarking the overall performance of the system. The measured results from the urea-urease reaction demonstrate that the system can detect urea in concentrations as low as 25 μM, which translates to a change of 27 mpH, according to our initial pH characterisation measurements. The attained accuracy and resolution of our system as well as its low-cost manufacturability, high processing speed and portability make it a competitive solution for applications requiring rapid and accurate results at remote locations; a necessity for Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostic platforms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin-Film Transistors for Biomedical and Chemical Sensing)

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5855 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Organic Electrochemical Transistor-Based Platform for Monitoring the Senescent Green Vegetative Phase of Haematococcus pluvialis Cells

by Weiwei Wei, Kang Xiao, Ming Tao, Lifu Nie, Dan Liu, Shanming Ke, Xierong Zeng, Zhangli Hu, Peng Lin and Yu Zhang

Sensors 2017, 17(9), 1997; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17091997 - 31 Aug 2017

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5578

Abstract

The freshwater unicellular microalga Haematococcus pluvialis (H. pluvialis) has gained increasing attention because of its high-value metabolite astaxanthin, a super anti-oxidant. For the maximum astaxanthin production, a key problem is how to determine the senescent green vegetative phase of H. pluvialis cells to apply the astaxanthin production inducers. The conventional methods are time-consuming and laborious. In this study, a novel platform based on organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) was produced. A significant channel current change of OECTs caused by settled H. pluvialis cells on the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) film was recorded commencing from 75 min and a stationary stage was achieved at 120 min after the combined treatment of blue light irradiation and sodium bicarbonate solution additives, which indicate the onset and maturation of the senescent green vegetative phase, respectively. Therefore, the appropriate time point (120 min after sample loading) to apply astaxanthin production inducers was determined by as-fabricated OECTs. This work may assist to develop a real-time biosensor to indicate the appropriate time to apply inducers for a maximum astaxanthin production of H. pluvialis cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin-Film Transistors for Biomedical and Chemical Sensing)

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