Detection Schemes for High Sensitivity Electronic Biomolecular Detection

Detection architectures are proposed for high-sensitivity, label-free detection of biomolecules using field-effect devices. In these architectures, the drain current of a field-effect transistor is modulated by the attachment of biomolecules to the transistor and is then converted from an analog signal to a digital signal by means of an oscillator. The time between successive pulses is representative of the magnitude of the drain current of the transistor, and hybridization events can thus be identified. An advantage of such a design is that it can be incorporated into large arrays without concerns of signal degradation, as well as can enable higher sensitivities to be achieved compared to the currently used optical based detection methods.