Sensor, a sensor array, and a method of operating a sensor

Abstract

In an example embodiment, there is a sensor for detecting particles. The sensor comprises an electrode, a sensor active region covering the electrode and the sensor active region is sensitive-for the particles. A first switch element is operable to bring the electrode to a first electric potential when the first switch element is closed, and a second switch element is operable to bring the electrode to a second electric potential when the second switch element is closed. A detector is adapted to detect the particles based on a change of the electric properties of the sensor in an operation mode in which the electrode is brought to the first electric potential and an operation mode in which the electrode is brought to the second electric potential.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to a sensor.[0002]Furthermore, the invention relates to a sensor array.[0003]Moreover, the invention relates to a method of operating a sensor.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]A biosensor may be denoted as a device which may be used for the detection of an analyte that combines a biological component with a physicochemical or physical detector component.[0005]For instance, a biosensor may be based on the phenomenon that capture molecules immobilized on a surface of a biosensor may selectively hybridize with target molecules in a fluidic sample, for instance when an antibody-binding fragment of an antibody or the sequence of a DNA single strand as a capture molecule fits to a corresponding sequence or structure of a target molecule. When such hybridization or sensor events occur at the sensor surface, this may change the electrical properties of the surface which can be detected as the sensor event.[0006]US 2004 / 0110277 discloses a bi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0026]Such an architecture may be particularly advantageous when nanoelectrodes are employed which are manufactured sufficiently small. For example, such nanoelectrodes can be made with dimensions of 250 nm, 130 nm or less, and may for instance be realized as sensing pockets having dimensions close to dimensions of biological molecules to be detected. This may allow to obtain a significant improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio. For instance, on a copper nanoelectrode, a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) may be provided which may be specifically designed to attach capture molecules such as antibodies. The copper electrode may then serve, in combination with a second electrode which can be another metallization layer of the semiconductor layer sequence or which can be a counter electrode which may be provided apart from the semiconductor layer sequence, as a capacitor. Sensor events (such as hybridization events between capture molecules immobilized on the SAM layer and target molecules in the sample) may then modify the value of the capacitance of the capacitor.

[0057]The detector of at least a part of the plurality of sensors may be adapted to perform a self referencing function by comparing a detection signal with an average detection signal of at least a part of the other sensors, particularly by comparing the detection signal with an average detection signal of other sensors of a row. For example, time drift effects may be suppressed by taking such a measure, since an individual signal is not considered in an isolated manner, but is compared with a time dependence of an average detection signal of other sensors which may allow to improve the signal to noise ratio and detect even the presence of a single bio-molecule.

Problems solved by technology

Conventional sensor chips may suffer from a signal to noise ratio which may be too small.

Images