An array of field-effect nanoplate SOI capacitors for (bio-)chemical sensing.

An array of individually addressable nanoplate field-effect capacitive (bio-)chemical sensors based on an SOI (silicon-on-insulator) structure has been developed. The isolation of the individual capacitors was achieved by forming a trench in the top Si layer with a thickness of 350 nm. The realized sensor array allows addressable biasing and electrical readout of multiple nanoplate EISOI (electrolyte-insulator-silicon-on-insulator) capacitive biosensors on the same SOI chip as well as differential-mode measurements. The feasibility of the proposed approach has been demonstrated by realizing sensors for the pH and penicillin concentration detection as well as for the label-free electrical monitoring of polyelectrolyte multilayers formation and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)-hybridization event. A potential change of ∼ 120 mV has been registered after the DNA hybridization for the sensor immobilized with perfectly matched single-strand DNA, while practically no signal changes have been observed for a sensor with fully mismatched DNA. The realized examples demonstrate the potential of the nanoplate SOI capacitors as a new basic structural element for the development of different types of field-effect biosensors.