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In this paper, a fully integrated high-sensitivity patch-clamp system is proposed for single-molecule deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis using a nanopore sensor. This system is composed of two main blocks for amplification and compensation. The amplification block is composed of three stages: 1) a headstage, 2) a voltage-gain difference amplifier, and 3) a track-and-hold circuit, that amplify a minute ionic current variation sensed by the nanopore while the compensation block avoids the headstage saturation caused by the input parasitic capacitances during sensing. By employing design techniques novel for this application, such as an instrumentation--amplifier topology and a compensation switch, we minimize the deleterious effects of the input-offset voltage and the input parasitic capacitances while attaining hardware simplicity. This system is fabricated in a 0.35 μm 4M2P CMOS process and is demonstrated using an α-hemolysin protein nanopore for detection of individual molecules of single-stranded DNA that pass through the 1.5 nm-diameter pore. In future work, the refined system will functionalize single and multiple solid-state nanopores formed in integrated microfluidic devices for advanced DNA analysis, in scientific and diagnostic applications.

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