Work

Optimal signal-to-noise ratio for silicon nanowire biochemical sensors

Year: 2011

Type: article

Abstract: The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for silicon nanowire field-effect transistors operated in an electrolyte environment is an essential figure-of-merit to characterize and compare the detection limit of such devices when used in an exposed channel configuration as biochemical sensors. We employ low frequency noise measurements to determine the regime for optimal SNR. We find that SNR is not significantly affected by the electrolyte concentration, composition, or pH, leading us to conclude that the major contributions to the SNR come from the intrinsic device quality. The results presented here show that SNR is maximized at the peak transconductance.

Source: Applied Physics Letters

DOI: 10.1063/1.3608155

Authors: Nitin K. Rajan, David A. Routenberg, Mark A. Reed

Institutions: Yale University, Scripps Research Institute

Language: English

Topic: Nanowire Synthesis and Applications

Subfield: Biomedical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Defense Threat Reduction Agency, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

Awards: Semiconductor Nanosensors for Label-Free Detection of Antigens and Cellular Immun, G6541015203, G969903010