SBIR Phase II: Carbon Nanotubes Field Effect Transitors (FET) Platform for Electronic and Sensors Applications

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to design and develop a molecular nano-sensor platform for researchers developing new chemical and bio-sensors. The principal component of these devices will be an array of single-wall carbon nanotube transducers on a silicon chip. The product itself will be a sensor development kit comprised of a set of sensor chips, an electronics module with a standard PC interface, adaptors for gas and liquid sensing, data reduction and analysis software, and directions for product use. General guidelines for the additional of specialized functionalization chemistry and biology to the sensor chip will be included. The project objectives include developing a set of 5-10 different chip architectures for gas, liquid and biosensing together with modules for sensing in both gases and liquids. The CMOS mask design will include as many as ten different architectures suitable for different types of experiments and functionalization layers. The sensor chips themselves will be manufactured on 4-inch silicon wafers and set into a standard CERDIP package that fits into the top of the electronics module. Signal processing electronics and software systems will be designed and integrated to deliver digital sensor output to LabView(TM) on a PC. The research involved in meeting these goals encompasses the design, prototyping and experimental testing of each component of the development platform. At the culmination of Phase II, the molecular nano-sensing platform will be validated by collaborative users in UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine, and positioned for market introduction. Commercially this novel nanosensing platform will enable research and product development in molecular level phenomena related to chemical reactions and catalysis, chemical and biological sensing, and photonics. The work described in this proposal will produce a valuable new nanoelectronics research tool that will ultimately result in new discoveries and products in sensing and diagnostics. Researchers seeking to develop new direct electronic detection sensing applications and conduct charge transfer experiments at the molecular level lack a robust, inexpensive experimental platform. In most cases researchers must develop their own experimental apparatus, interfaces and software. For those wishing to take advantage of the sensitivity and flexibility of nanoelectronic arrays, fabricating the devices is a formidable and cost prohibitive challenge. This project seeks to provide a state-of-the-art nanotechnology-based solution in an ultra sensitive and flexible detection platform.