Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have developed a quantum mechanical-based advanced biosensor for detection of biomolecules and trace substances for point-of-care diagnostics of diseases, forensics as well as for security application.
The study conducted by the director of UCSB’s Nanoelectronics Research Lab, Kaustav Banerjee and doctoral student Deblina Sarkar on their design of a T-FET (Tunnel-FET) sensor, which is more sensitive and faster than traditional FETs (Field-Effect-Transistors), was published in the 2 April issue of the Applied Physics Letters journal.
The Director of UCSB’s Center for Bioengineering, Samir Mitragotri stated that the study details the design of ultra-sensitive biosensors that can detect biomolecules at very low concentrations.
Cost effective conventional FET-based biosensors have been rapidly adopted by security, forensic and medical industries for detection. Unlike optical detection procedures, these biosensors offer label-free detection and scalability by eliminating the expensive labeling process of target molecules using fluorescent dye.
The professor of electrical and computer engineering, Kaustav Banerjee stated that conventional FET-based biosensors have limitations on the minimum detection time and maximum sensitivity due to their thermionic emission current injection process. Banerjee explained that the current injection mechanism is the principle behind the quantum mechanical-based biosensor. It enables the bending of energy bands allowing band-to-band tunneling, thus leveraging biomolecule conjugation. The current injection mechanism leads to an increase in current that helps in minimizing the response time and maximizing the sensitivity of the sensor. Furthermore, the T-FETs can be integrated with silicon-based semiconductor technology, thus having a significant impact on research in proteomics and genomics along with clinical, forensic and pharmaceutical applications.