Low Gate Voltage Operated Multi-emitter-dot H ⁺ Ion-Sensitive Gated Lateral Bipolar Junction Transistor

Abstract

A low gate voltage operated multi-emitter-dot gated lateral bipolar junction transistor (BJT) ion sensor is proposed. The proposed device is composed of an arrayed gated lateral BJT, which is driven in the metal-oxidesemiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)-BJT hybrid operation mode. Further, it has multiple emitter dots linked to each other in parallel to improve ionic sensitivity. Using hydrogen ionic solutions as reference solutions, we conduct experiments in which we compare the sensitivity and threshold voltage of the multi-emitter-dot gated lateral BJT with that of the single-emitter-dot gated lateral BJT. The multi-emitter-dot gated lateral BJT not only shows increased sensitivity but, more importantly, the proposed device can be operated under very low gate voltage, whereas the conventional ion-sensitive field-effect transistors cannot. This special characteristic is significant for low power devices and for function devices in which the provision of a gate voltage is difficult.

Novel H+-Ion Sensor Based on a Gated Lateral BJT Pair

“…Besides, a vertical p-n-p BJT can be formed, but cannot be operate because the lateral collectors (drains) and the substrate were grounded. Each gated lateral BJT component could be operated under the MOSFET operation mode, BJT operation mode, and the MOSFET-BJT hybrid operation mode, which have been described in detail in previous works [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. In other words, the MOSFET functional part is switched on by the gate bias supply, and the BJT functional part is switched on by the base current input.…”

“…This special device combines a MOSFET and a BJT, and was developed for various power device applications [ 11 ]. In previous works, we developed a gated lateral BJT using the standard CMOS process for several sensor applications to achieve specific characteristics such as large dynamic range, high transconductance, and low gate bias [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Ion-Sensitive Gated Bipolar Transistor

“…Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TED.2019.2933666 ion-sensitive device that is claimed to have a relatively high g m , and, therefore, is more sensitive than the ISFET [20], [21]. Interestingly, the authors used specific proteins to prove their point and they used dedicated designs for improving the sensitivity.…”

Dynamic Extracellular Imaging of Biochemical Cell Activity Using InGaN/GaN Nanowire Arrays as Nanophotonic Probes

“…In such an approach not only optical excitation, but also optical readout of the transducer response within the boundary conditions provided by a standard optical microscope setup is an important requirement for application. This is in contrast to the complex electronic infrastructure that is required in the case of sensor arrays based on solution gate field‐effect transistors . In this concept, the temporal evolution of the measurand is transformed into an optical response that is detectable at room temperature and under physiological conditions.…”