Title :
Standard CMOS piezoresistive sensor to quantify heart cell contractile forces
Author :
Lin, Gisela ; Pister, Kristofer S J ; Roos, Kenneth P.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., California Univ., Los Angeles, CA, USA
Abstract :
A MEMS force transducer system, with a volume less than one cubic millimeter, is being developed to measure forces generated by living, isolated cardiac muscle cells. Cell attachment and measurement of contractile forces have been demonstrated with prototype hinged polysilicon devices. A new transducer system has been fabricated using a standard CMOS process with a post-processing XeF2 etch step. The system consists of a three dimensional oxide structure with aluminum hinges, polysilicon piezoresistive sensor, and CMOS amplifier. System response is 0.45 mV/μN. This MEMS force transducer will permit improved resolution of the mechanisms of muscle contraction
Keywords :
CMOS integrated circuits; biological techniques; biomechanics; cardiology; cellular biophysics; electric sensing devices; elemental semiconductors; etching; force measurement; integrated circuit technology; microsensors; muscle; piezoelectric transducers; piezoresistive devices; silicon; Al hinges; CMOS amplifier; CMOS piezoresistive sensor; MEMS force transducer; Si; XeF2; XeF2 etch step; cell attachment; contractile forces; heart cell; living isolated cardiac muscle cells; muscle contraction; polysilicon piezoresistive sensor; post-processing; resolution; three dimensional oxide structure; Force measurement; Force sensors; Heart; Micromechanical devices; Millimeter wave devices; Muscles; Piezoresistance; Prototypes; Transducers; Volume measurement;
Conference_Titel :
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, 1996, MEMS '96, Proceedings. An Investigation of Micro Structures, Sensors, Actuators, Machines and Systems. IEEE, The Ninth Annual International Workshop on
Conference_Location :
San Diego, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-2985-6
DOI :
10.1109/MEMSYS.1996.493845
