A simultaneous multimodal sensor for proton and light sensing using a Hole and Electron Accumulation Technique

A novel CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor)-based multimodal biosensor is devised. In the devised sensor, both electrons and holes are handled simultaneously as a signal electrical charge. We named this technique the `Hole and Electron Accumulation Technique (HEAT)´. Using the HEAT sensor, two phenomena (e. g. ion concentration and light power) are mapped perfectly simultaneously by the same pixel. In this paper, the sensing mechanism and the basic characteristics of the HEAT sensor are described. As a result, we successfully demonstrated a multimodal sensor for the simultaneous sensing of pH (power of hydrogen: proton concentration) and light power.