Integrated sensor arrays for biological and chemical analysis

Abstract

The invention is directed to apparatus and chips comprising a large scale chemical field effect transistor arrays that include an array of sample-retaining regions capable of retaining a chemical or biological sample from a sample fluid for analysis. In one aspect such transistor arrays have a pitch of 10 μm or less and each sample-retaining region is positioned on at least one chemical field effect transistor which is configured to generate at least one output signal related to a characteristic of a chemical or biological sample in such sample-retaining region. In one embodiment, the characteristic of said chemical or biological sample is a concentration of a charged species and wherein each of said chemical field effect transistors is an ion-sensitive field effect transistor having a floating gate with a dielectric layer on a surface thereof, the dielectric layer contacting said sample fluid and being capable of accumulating charge in proportion to a concentration of the charged species in said sample fluid. In one embodiment such charged species is a hydrogen ion such that the sensors measure changes in pH of the sample fluid in or adjacent to the sample-retaining region thereof. Apparatus and chips of the invention may be adapted for large scale pH-based DNA sequencing and other bioscience and biomedical applications.

1 . An apparatus comprising a chemical field effect transistor array in a circuit-supporting substrate, such transistor array having disposed on its surface an array of sample-retaining regions capable of retaining a chemical or biological sample from a sample fluid, wherein such transistor array has a pitch of 10 .mu.m or less and each sample-retaining region is positioned on at least one chemical field effect transistor which is configured to generate at least one output signal related to a characteristic of a chemical or biological sample in such sample-retaining region.