Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Assignees
MemberParagrafParagrafParagraf specializes in the development and manufacture of wafer-scale, silicon-compatible graphene electronic devices and sensors. Utilizing a proprietary process for direct, contamination-free graphene synthesis, the company delivers scalable solutions for magnetic field sensing, molecular and biosensing, and advanced electronics integration. These technologies address challenges in cryogenics, quantum computing, automotive, aerospace, environmental monitoring, and healthcare. With a focus on large-scale integration of 2D materials, Paragraf advances next-generation sensors and components for demanding and extreme environments.
Paragraf specializes in the development and manufacture of wafer-scale, silicon-compatible graphene electronic devices and sensors. Utilizing a proprietary process for direct, contamination-free graphene synthesis, the company delivers scalable solutions for magnetic field sensing, molecular and biosensing, and advanced electronics integration. These technologies address challenges in cryogenics, quantum computing, automotive, aerospace, environmental monitoring, and healthcare. With a focus on large-scale integration of 2D materials, Paragraf advances next-generation sensors and components for demanding and extreme environments.
Publication Number
US-11092598-B2
Publication Date
2021-08-17
Expiration Date
Abstract
A chemically differentiated sensor array system includes a plurality of environmentally-gated transistors and an environmental gate, wherein the environmental gate includes a liquid solution and each environmentally-gated transistor includes a drain, a source, and a Carbon-based substrate channel, the drain electrically couples to a first location on the substrate channel, the source electrically couples to a second location on the substrate channel separated by a gap from the first location on the substrate channel, the environmental gate covers and contacts the substrate channel, a first insulating layer covers and separates the drain from the environmental gate, and a second insulating layer covers and separates the source from the environmental gate.
Core Innovation
The present disclosure is directed towards electronic sensors for sample analysis, and more particularly, to a chemically differentiated sensor array. The chemically differentiated sensor arrays comprise transistor-based sensors that each include an environmental gate without the need for a barrier layer or universal gate dielectric, wherein an environmental gate may be a liquid material that comes into contact with the transistor and has a controlled voltage. Using a graphene transistor in combination with an environmental gate yields a transistor with a gate dielectric formed from the electrochemical double layer that spontaneously forms by a water when in contact with a surface, and a sensitization layer such as a polymer or protein may be applied to this clean graphene surface to impart chemical selectivity to the transistor based sensor.
The disclosure addresses limitations in conventional chemical sensor arrays, where creation of chemically differentiated sensor arrays increases complexity and drives designs toward simpler, less sensitive sensors, and where barrier or protective layers used to prevent reactions decrease sensitivity and uniformly limit chemical differentiation across an array. The described approach leverages Carbon-based substrate channels that are chemically inert in air and water to avoid the need for barrier layers and enable closer interaction between the sensing environment and the conduction channel.
Multiple transistor-based sensors are placed in an array exposed to the same or different environmental gates and different transistors within the array are differentiated by employing different sensitization layers, including covalently and non-covalently bound materials, to increase sensitivity and specificity to particular substances within the environmental gate. The arrays and associated systems are described for biological sample analysis, including sensor chips with sequencing probes associated with transistors where changes in electrical properties caused by binding events in the shared liquid environmental gate can be measured and used to identify sample composition.
Claims Coverage
Two independent claims were identified. The inventive features below are extracted from the independent device claim and the independent system claim.
Chemically-differentiated graphene field effect transistor array
A chemically-differentiated graphene field effect transistor array having a plurality of transistors, wherein each transistor comprises a drain, a source, a substrate channel, and an environmental gate shared among the plurality of transistors in a well configured to receive a liquid sample.
Graphene substrate with sp3 scattering sites
A substrate channel that comprises sp2 hybridized carbon in the form of graphene and one or more electronic scattering sites, each scattering site comprising sp3 hybridized carbon chemically prepared to enable covalent bonding of a biomolecule to the substrate channel.
Environmental liquid gate shared among transistors in a well
An environmental gate shared among the plurality of transistors that is a liquid gate formed above the substrate channels of the plurality of transistors by receipt of the liquid sample in the well.
Insulated drain and source with shared conductive layer bond pads
A drain electrically coupling to a first location on the substrate channel and a source electrically coupling to a second location separated by a gap, each formed using the same conductive layer that forms the drains/sources and bond pads or leads of the sensor chip, with a first insulating layer covering and separating the drain from the environmental gate and a second insulating layer covering and separating the source from the environmental gate.
Differentiated sensitization layers for transistor groups
A first group of one or more transistors functionalized with a first type of sensitization layer comprising a polymer that is not covalently bound to the channel and selected to increase sensitivity to a first type of biomolecule, and a second group functionalized with a second type of sensitization layer selected from a protein selected to bind to an antibody in the liquid sample and an antibody selected to bind to a biomolecule in the liquid sample.
Offset gate electrodes operable to apply and monitor liquid voltage
One or more gate electrodes offset horizontally from the channel of any of the plurality of transistors and electrically coupled to the environmental gate upon receipt of the liquid sample, the one or more gate electrodes operable to perform applying a voltage to the liquid forming the environmental gate and monitoring a resulting liquid voltage of the environmental gate as a reference voltage.
Measurement vectors comprising liquid gate voltage, output current, and slope
The array is configured to enable respective measurement vectors to be determined for the differently functionalized transistors in response to binding events occurring between biomolecules in the shared environmental gate and the respective sensitization layers, the respective measurement vectors comprising a liquid gate voltage, an output current, and a slope indicative of the transconductance of said groups of transistors.
Sensor chip electrically coupled to a printed circuit board (system claim)
A sensor chip electrically coupled to a printed circuit board, wherein the sensor chip comprises the chemically-differentiated graphene field effect transistor array and the features recited above as part of a system.
The independent claims cover a chemically-differentiated graphene field effect transistor array with a shared liquid environmental gate in a well, graphene substrate channels with sp3 scattering sites for covalent biomolecule bonding, insulated source/drain formed using the same conductive layer as bond pads, groups of transistors functionalized with differing sensitization layers, offset gate electrodes for liquid voltage control and monitoring, and the use of measurement vectors (liquid gate voltage, output current, and slope indicative of transconductance) to detect binding events; the system claim further recites a sensor chip electrically coupled to a printed circuit board.
Stated Advantages
Eliminates the need for a barrier layer or universal gate dielectric for transistor-based chemical sensors.
Enables closer chemical coupling between the sensing environment and the conduction channel, increasing sensitivity.
Allows chemical differentiation across an array by employing different sensitization layers on different transistors to detect and distinguish many different substances.
Graphene's chemical inertness in air and water permits direct contact with the sensing environment and requires less protective material.
Enables quick detection and identification of different biomarkers using differently functionalized sensor groups.
Documented Applications
Biological sample analysis systems and devices employing sensor chips with environmentally-gated graphene transistors for detection of biological samples.
Electronic biological sample sensor systems for antibody and biomarker detection, including detection of infections and identification of biomarkers indicative of infection (antibody, protein, nucleotide sequence).
DNA sequencing using sensor chips with sequencing probes associated with transistors to detect pH changes from base incorporation and identify nucleotide sequences.
Use in sample formats including open-air wells and plate sections (for example, embodiments describing a plurality of open-air wells such as ninety-six wells) to direct suspensions containing DNA or biological samples to sensor chips.
Detection and identification of biomarkers in biological sample matrices explicitly mentioned such as blood, urine, saliva, bacterial growth media, and food.
Systems configured to detect biomarkers indicative of infections involving a selected virus, including embodiments naming a type of SARS coronavirus.
Interested in licensing this patent?