CMOS-MEMS VOCs sensor functionalized via inkjet polymer deposition for high-sensitivity acetone detection

In this work we studied the fabrication of a monolithic bimaterial micro-cantilever resonant IR sensor with on-chip drive circuits. The effects of high temperature process and stress induced performance degradation were investigated. The post-CMOS MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) fabrication process of this IR sensor is the focus of this paper, starting from theoretical analysis and simulation, and then moving to experimental verification. The capacitive cantilever structure was fabricated by surface micromachining method, and drive circuits were prepared by standard CMOS process. While the stress introduced by MEMS films, such as the tensile silicon nitride which works as a contact etch stopper layer for MOSFETs and releasing stop layer for the MEMS structure, increases the electron mobility of NMOS, PMOS hole mobility decreases. Moreover, the NMOS threshold voltage (Vth) shifts, and transconductance (Gm) degrades. An additional step of selective removing silicon nitride capping layer and polysilicon layer upon IC area were inserted into the standard CMOS process to lower the stress in MOSFET channel regions. Selective removing silicon nitride and polysilicon before annealing can void 77% Vth shift and 86% Gm loss.

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Towards lab-on-chip ultrasensitive ethanol detection using photonic crystal waveguide operating in the mid infrared

Nanophotonics ◽

10.1515/nanoph-2020-0576 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Ali Rostamian ◽

Ehsan Madadi-Kandjani ◽

Hamed Dalir ◽

Volker J. Sorger ◽

Ray T. Chen

Keyword(s):

Photonic Crystal ◽

Slow Light ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Guided Wave ◽

Silicon On Insulator ◽

Group Index ◽

Photonic Crystal Waveguide ◽

Mid Infrared ◽

Lab On Chip ◽

On Chip

Abstract Thanks to the unique molecular fingerprints in the mid-infrared spectral region, absorption spectroscopy in this regime has attracted widespread attention in recent years. Contrary to commercially available infrared spectrometers, which are limited by being bulky and cost-intensive, laboratory-on-chip infrared spectrometers can offer sensor advancements including raw sensing performance in addition to use such as enhanced portability. Several platforms have been proposed in the past for on-chip ethanol detection. However, selective sensing with high sensitivity at room temperature has remained a challenge. Here, we experimentally demonstrate an on-chip ethyl alcohol sensor based on a holey photonic crystal waveguide on silicon on insulator-based photonics sensing platform offering an enhanced photoabsorption thus improving sensitivity. This is achieved by designing and engineering an optical slow-light mode with a high group-index of n g = 73 and a strong localization of modal power in analyte, enabled by the photonic crystal waveguide structure. This approach includes a codesign paradigm that uniquely features an increased effective path length traversed by the guided wave through the to-be-sensed gas analyte. This PIC-based lab-on-chip sensor is exemplary, spectrally designed to operate at the center wavelength of 3.4 μm to match the peak absorbance for ethanol. However, the slow-light enhancement concept is universal offering to cover a wide design-window and spectral ranges towards sensing a plurality of gas species. Using the holey photonic crystal waveguide, we demonstrate the capability of achieving parts per billion levels of gas detection precision. High sensitivity combined with tailorable spectral range along with a compact form-factor enables a new class of portable photonic sensor platforms when combined with integrated with quantum cascade laser and detectors.

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A Tunable-Gain Transimpedance Amplifier for CMOS-MEMS Resonators Characterization

Micromachines ◽

10.3390/mi12010082 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 82

Author(s):

Rafel Perelló-Roig ◽

Jaume Verd ◽

Sebastià Bota ◽

Jaume Segura

Keyword(s):

Cmos Technology ◽

Open Loop ◽

Transimpedance Amplifier ◽

Mems Devices ◽

Monolithically Integrated ◽

Mems Resonators ◽

Electromechanical Performance ◽

Cmos Mems ◽

Promising Solution ◽

On Chip

CMOS-MEMS resonators have become a promising solution thanks to their miniaturization and on-chip integration capabilities. However, using a CMOS technology to fabricate microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices limits the electromechanical performance otherwise achieved by specific technologies, requiring a challenging readout circuitry. This paper presents a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) fabricated using a commercial 0.35-µm CMOS technology specifically oriented to drive and sense monolithically integrated CMOS-MEMS resonators up to 50 MHz with a tunable transimpedance gain ranging from 112 dB to 121 dB. The output voltage noise is as low as 225 nV/Hz1/2—input-referred current noise of 192 fA/Hz1/2—at 10 MHz, and the power consumption is kept below 1-mW. In addition, the TIA amplifier exhibits an open-loop gain independent of the parasitic input capacitance—mostly associated with the MEMS layout—representing an advantage in MEMS testing compared to other alternatives such as Pierce oscillator schemes. The work presented includes the characterization of three types of MEMS resonators that have been fabricated and experimentally characterized both in open-loop and self-sustained configurations using the integrated TIA amplifier. The experimental characterization includes an accurate extraction of the electromechanical parameters for the three fabricated structures that enables an accurate MEMS-CMOS circuitry co-design.

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High-Performance On-Chip Silicon Beamsplitter Based on Subwavelength Metamaterials for Enhanced Fabrication Tolerance

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11051304 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 1304

Author(s):

Raquel Fernández de Cabo ◽

David González-Andrade ◽

Pavel Cheben ◽

Aitor V. Velasco

Keyword(s):

Integrated Circuits ◽

Fundamental Mode ◽

High Performance ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Power Splitting ◽

Excess Loss ◽

Power Splitters ◽

On Chip ◽

Efficient Power

Efficient power splitting is a fundamental functionality in silicon photonic integrated circuits, but state-of-the-art power-division architectures are hampered by limited operational bandwidth, high sensitivity to fabrication errors or large footprints. In particular, traditional Y-junction power splitters suffer from fundamental mode losses due to limited fabrication resolution near the junction tip. In order to circumvent this limitation, we propose a new type of high-performance Y-junction power splitter that incorporates subwavelength metamaterials. Full three-dimensional simulations show a fundamental mode excess loss below 0.1 dB in an ultra-broad bandwidth of 300 nm (1400–1700 nm) when optimized for a fabrication resolution of 50 nm, and under 0.3 dB in a 350 nm extended bandwidth (1350–1700 nm) for a 100 nm resolution. Moreover, analysis of fabrication tolerances shows robust operation for the fundamental mode to etching errors up to ± 20 nm. A proof-of-concept device provides an initial validation of its operation principle, showing experimental excess losses lower than 0.2 dB in a 195 nm bandwidth for the best-case resolution scenario (i.e., 50 nm).

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Integrated CMOS-MEMS with on-chip readout electronics for high-frequency applications

IEEE Electron Device Letters ◽

10.1109/led.2006.875147 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 495-497 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

J. Verd ◽

A. Uranga ◽

J. Teva ◽

J.L. Lopez ◽

F. Torres ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Frequency ◽

Readout Electronics ◽

Cmos Mems ◽

On Chip

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On-chip, high-sensitivity temperature sensors based on dye-doped solid-state polymer microring lasers

Applied Physics Letters ◽

10.1063/1.4986825 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 111 (6) ◽

pp. 061109 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Lei Wan ◽

Hengky Chandrahalim ◽

Cong Chen ◽

Qiushu Chen ◽

Ting Mei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solid State ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Temperature Sensors ◽

On Chip

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On-chip high sensitivity laser frequency sensing with Brillouin mutually-modulated cross-gain modulation

Optics Express ◽

10.1364/oe.21.008605 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 21 (7) ◽

pp. 8605 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Feng Gao ◽

Ravi Pant ◽

Enbang Li ◽

Christopher G. Poulton ◽

Duk-Yong Choi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Sensitivity ◽

Laser Frequency ◽

Gain Modulation ◽

Cross Gain Modulation ◽

On Chip

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High-throughput fabrication and calibration of compact high-sensitivity plasmonic lab-on-chip for biosensing

Optofluidics Microfluidics and Nanofluidics ◽

10.1515/optof-2016-0002 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

E. Gazzola ◽

A. Pozzato ◽

G. Ruffato ◽

E. Sovernigo ◽

A. Sonato

Keyword(s):

High Throughput ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Controlled Environment ◽

Biological Applications ◽

Environment Monitoring ◽

Lab On Chip ◽

Sensing Platforms ◽

Multiple Detection ◽

On Chip ◽

Biological Environment

AbstractSurface plasmon resonance biosensors have recently known a rapid diffusion in the biological field and a large variety of sensor configurations is currently available. Biological applications are increasingly demanding sensor miniaturization, multiple detection in parallel, temperature-controlled environment and high sensitivity. Indeed, versatile and tunable sensing platforms, together with an accurate biological environment monitoring, could improve the realization of custom biosensing devices applicable to different biological reactions. Here we propose a smart and high throughput fabrication protocol for the realization of a custommicrofluidic plasmonic biochip that could be easily tuned and modified to address different biological applications. The sensor chip here presented shows a high sensing capability, monitored by an accurate signal calibration in the presence of concentration and temperature variation.

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Design and simulation of bio fluidic sensor based on photonic crystal

International Journal of Engineering & Technology ◽

10.14419/ijet.v3i2.1691 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 106

Author(s):

Rajini Gaddam Kesava Reddy ◽

Sharmila Ashok kumar ◽

Sankardoss Varadhan

Keyword(s):

Photonic Crystals ◽

Photonic Band Gap ◽

Optical Cavity ◽

Fdtd Method ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Fluidic Channel ◽

Optical Cavities ◽

Fluid Sensor ◽

On Chip

Photonic crystals are materials patterned with a periodicity in dielectric constant in one, two and three dimensions and associated with Bragg scattering which can create range of forbidden frequencies called Photonic Band Gap (PBG). By optimizing various parameters and creating defects, we will review the design and characterization of waveguides, optical cavities and multi-fluidic channel devices. We have used such waveguides and laser nanocavities as Biosensor, in which field intensity is strongly dependent on the type of biofliud and its refractive index. This design and simulation technique leads to development of a nanophotonic sensor for detection of biofluids. In this paper, we have simulated sensing of biofliud in various photonic defect structures with the help of a numerical algorithm called Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method. The simulation result shows the high sensitivity for the change in the bio-molecular structure. For developing the complete sensor system, we have to use the MEMS technologies to integrate on-chip fluidic transport components with sensing systems. The resulting biofluidic system will have the capability to continuously monitor the concentration of a large number of relevant biological molecules continuously from ambulatory patients. Keywords: FDTD, Photonic Crystals, Bio fluid Sensor, Optical Cavity.

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