A Scalable ISFET Sensing and Memory Array With Sensor Auto-Calibration for On-Chip Real-Time DNA Detection

IEEE Trans Biomed Circuits Syst. 2018 Apr;12(2):390-401. doi: 10.1109/TBCAS.2017.2789161.

Abstract

This paper presents a novel CMOS-based system-on-chip with a 78 56 ion-sensitive field-effect transistor array using in-pixel quantization and compensation of sensor nonidealities. The pixel integrates sensing circuitry and memory cells to encode the ion concentration in time and store a calibration value per pixel. Temperature sensing pixels spread throughout the array allow temperature monitoring during the reaction. We describe the integration of the array as part of a lab-on-chip cartridge that plugs into a motherboard for power management, biasing, data acquisition, and temperature regulation. This forms a robust ion detection platform, which is demonstrated as a pH sensing system. We show that our calibration is able to perform readout with a linear spread of 0.3% and that the system exhibits a high pH sensitivity of 3.2 /pH. The complete system is shown to perform on-chip real-time DNA amplification and detection of lambda phage DNA by loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Calibration
  • DNA / analysis
  • Equipment Design
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*
  • Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques / instrumentation*
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / instrumentation*
  • Semiconductors
  • Transistors, Electronic*

Substances

  • DNA