Silicon-Based Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review

The paper highlights some of the significant works done in the field of medical and biomedical sensing using silicon-based technology. The use of silicon sensors is one of the pivotal and prolonged techniques employed in a range of healthcare, industrial and environmental applications by virtue of its distinct advantages over other counterparts in Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Among them, the sensors for biomedical applications are one of the most significant ones, which not only assist in improving the quality of human life but also help in the field of microfabrication by imparting knowledge about how to develop enhanced multifunctional sensing prototypes. The paper emphasises the use of silicon, in different forms, to fabricate electrodes and substrates for the sensors that are to be used for biomedical sensing. The electrical conductivity and the mechanical flexibility of silicon vary to a large extent depending on its use in developing prototypes. The article also explains some of the bottlenecks that need to be dealt with in the current scenario, along with some possible remedies. Finally, a brief market survey is given to estimate a probable increase in the usage of silicon in developing a variety of biomedical prototypes in the upcoming years.

[1]  Darrin J. Young,et al.  Wireless implantable sensors: from lab to technology breakthrough ambitions , 2019 .

[2]  S. Muruganand,et al.  Design and fabrication of MEMS based intracranial pressure sensor for neurons study , 2019, Vacuum.

[3]  Tao Han,et al.  3D Printed Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review , 2019, Sensors.

[4]  Dong-Su Kim,et al.  Wireless pressure sensor integrated with a 3D printed polymer stent for smart health monitoring , 2019, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical.

[5]  Subhas Mukhopadhyay,et al.  Electrochemical Biosensor: Point-of-Care for Early Detection of Bone Loss , 2019, Smart Sensors, Measurement and Instrumentation.

[6]  S. Mukhopadhyay,et al.  Planar Interdigital Sensors and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy , 2018, Electrochemical Biosensor: Point-of-Care for Early Detection of Bone Loss.

[7]  J. M. Mathana,et al.  Blood Sugar Level Indication Through Chewing and Swallowing from Acoustic MEMS Sensor and Deep Learning Algorithm for Diabetic Management , 2018, Journal of Medical Systems.

[8]  Zachariah C. Alex,et al.  Sensitivity Analysis of Micro-Mass Optical MEMS Sensor for Biomedical IoT Devices , 2018, Internet of Things and Personalized Healthcare Systems.

[9]  Lei Wang,et al.  High-sensitivity radio frequency noncontact sensing and accurate quantification of uric acid in temperature-variant aqueous solutions , 2018, Applied Physics Express.

[10]  John A Rogers,et al.  Bioresorbable pressure sensors protected with thermally grown silicon dioxide for the monitoring of chronic diseases and healing processes , 2018, Nature Biomedical Engineering.

[11]  Subhas Chandra Mukhopadhyay,et al.  Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Electrochemical Biosensor for Bone Loss Detection , 2018, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[12]  S. Mukhopadhyay,et al.  Performance Assessment of Interdigital Sensor for Varied Coating Thicknesses to Detect CTX-I , 2018, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[13]  Qun Wu,et al.  High-Performance porous MIM-type capacitive humidity sensor realized via inductive coupled plasma and reactive-Ion etching , 2018 .

[14]  Subhas Chandra Mukhopadhyay,et al.  Development of IoT-Based Impedometric Biosensor for Point-of-Care Monitoring of Bone Loss , 2018, IEEE Journal on Emerging and Selected Topics in Circuits and Systems.

[15]  Ravinder Dahiya,et al.  Ultra-thin chips for high-performance flexible electronics , 2018, npj Flexible Electronics.

[16]  A. Kreiter,et al.  Silicon-Based Microfabrication of Free-Floating Neural Probes and Insertion Tool for Chronic Applications , 2018, Micromachines.

[17]  J. M. Nassar,et al.  CMOS Enabled Microfluidic Systems for Healthcare Based Applications , 2018, Advanced materials.

[18]  Woon-Hong Yeo,et al.  Soft Material-Enabled, Flexible Hybrid Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces , 2018, Materials.

[19]  Hao Zhu.  Semiconductor Nanowire MOSFETs and Applications , 2017 .

[20]  Boby George,et al.  A Wide-Range Capacitive Sensor for Linear and Angular Displacement Measurement , 2017, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics.

[21]  Stefano Mariani,et al.  10 000-Fold Improvement in Protein Detection Using Nanostructured Porous Silicon Interferometric Aptasensors , 2016 .

[22]  Wei Chen,et al.  A Review of Wearable Sensor Systems for Monitoring Body Movements of Neonates , 2016, Sensors.

[23]  Amir Barati Farimani,et al.  Ultrathin, transferred layers of thermally grown silicon dioxide as biofluid barriers for biointegrated flexible electronic systems , 2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[24]  So-Hyun Lee,et al.  Multiplexed cancer biomarker detection using chip-integrated silicon photonic sensor arrays. , 2016, The Analyst.

[25]  Keekyoung Kim,et al.  Nanowire-Based Sensors for Biological and Medical Applications , 2016, IEEE Transactions on NanoBioscience.

[26]  Huanyu Cheng,et al.  Bioresorbable silicon electronic sensors for the brain , 2016, Nature.

[27]  S. Mukhopadhyay,et al.  Novel Sensing Approach for LPG Leakage Detection: Part I—Operating Mechanism and Preliminary Results , 2016, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[28]  Jurgen Kosel,et al.  Novel Sensing Approach for LPG Leakage Detection—Part II: Effects of Particle Size, Composition, and Coating Layer Thickness , 2016, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[29]  R. R. Jivani,et al.  Biomedical microelectromechanical systems (BioMEMS): Revolution in drug delivery and analytical techniques , 2013, Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society.

[30]  S. C. Mukhopadhyay,et al.  Performance enhancement of electronic sensor through mask-less lithography , 2015, 2015 9th International Conference on Sensing Technology (ICST).

[31]  Hirofumi Nogami,et al.  Detection of Site-Specific Blood Flow Variation in Humans during Running by a Wearable Laser Doppler Flowmeter , 2015, Sensors.

[32]  Sandro Carrara,et al.  Memristive Biosensors for PSA-IgM Detection , 2015 .

[33]  Giovanni De Micheli,et al.  Computational Study on the Electrical Behavior of Silicon Nanowire Memristive Biosensors , 2015, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[34]  Paolo Dario,et al.  MEMS Sensor Technologies for Human Centred Applications in Healthcare, Physical Activities, Safety and Environmental Sensing: A Review on Research Activities in Italy , 2015, Sensors.

[35]  Lakhdari Abdelghani,et al.  Modeling of silicon MEMS capacitive pressure sensor for biomédical applications , 2014, 2014 9th International Design and Test Symposium (IDT).

[36]  Farid A. Harraz,et al.  Porous silicon chemical sensors and biosensors: A review , 2014 .

[37]  Haluk Kulah,et al.  Label-Free DNA Detection Using a Charge Sensitive CMOS Microarray Sensor Chip , 2014, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[38]  A. Saeidi,et al.  Cell membrane electrical charge investigations by silicon nanowires incorporated field effect transistor (SiNWFET) suitable in cancer research , 2014 .

[39]  H. Santos.  Porous Silicon for Biomedical Applications , 2014 .

[40]  Daniel Durini,et al.  High Performance Silicon Imaging : Fundamentals and Applications of CMOS and CCD sensors , 2014 .

[41]  R. Nötzel,et al.  Highly Sensitive and Fast Anion-Selective InN Quantum Dot Electrochemical Sensors , 2013 .

[42]  Magnus Willander,et al.  An InN/InGaN Quantum Dot Electrochemical Biosensor for Clinical Diagnosis , 2013, Sensors.

[43]  X. Zou,et al.  A miniature fiber optic blood pressure sensor and its application in in vivo blood pressure measurements of a swine model , 2013 .

[44]  H. Funakubo,et al.  Linear actuation piezoelectric microcantilever using tetragonal composition PZT thin films , 2013, 2013 IEEE 26th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS).

[45]  N. A. Dheringe,et al.  RECENT ADVANCES IN MEMS SENSOR TECHNOLOGY – BIOMEDICAL , MECHANICAL , THERMO-FLUID & ELECTROMAGNETIC SENSORS , 2013 .

[46]  Magnus Willander,et al.  Highly efficient potentiometric glucose biosensor based on functionalized InN quantum dots , 2012 .

[47]  Shusaku Nomura,et al.  Human Pulse Detection Using Multiple Silicon Microphones toward Estimation of Physical Condition , 2012 .

[48]  T. Kobayashi,et al.  An electrostatic field sensor driven by self-excited vibration of sensor/actuator integrated piezoelectric micro cantilever , 2012, 2012 IEEE 25th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS).

[49]  Shekhar Bhansali,et al.  MEMS for biomedical applications , 2012 .

[50]  H. Iwai,et al.  Advantages of Silicon Nanowire MOSFETs over Planar Ones Investigated from the Viewpoints of Static and Noise Properties , 2011 .

[51]  Nitin K. Rajan,et al.  Optimal signal-to-noise ratio for silicon nanowire biochemical sensors. , 2011, Applied physics letters.

[52]  Jagannathan Rajagopalan,et al.  MEMS sensors and microsystems for cell mechanobiology , 2011, Journal of micromechanics and microengineering : structures, devices, and systems.

[53]  Yit‐Tsong Chen,et al.  Silicon nanowire field-effect transistor-based biosensors for biomedical diagnosis and cellular recording investigation , 2011 .

[54]  Ulrich S Schubert,et al.  Fabrication of patterned silane based self-assembled monolayers by photolithography and surface reactions on silicon-oxide substrates. , 2010, Chemical communications.

[55]  Mauro Ferrari,et al.  Biodegradable Porous Silicon Barcode Nanowires with Defined Geometry , 2010, Advanced functional materials.

[56]  Shin-Won Kang.  Application of Soft Lithography for Nano Functional Devices , 2010 .

[57]  Wuqiang Yang,et al.  Planar capacitive sensors – designs and applications , 2010 .

[58]  Giovanni De Micheli,et al.  Fabrication of memristors with poly-crystalline silicon nanowires , 2009, 2009 9th IEEE Conference on Nanotechnology (IEEE-NANO).

[59]  Y. Nemirovsky,et al.  MEMS composite porous silicon/polysilicon cantilever sensor for enhanced triglycerides biosensing , 2009, 2008 IEEE Sensors.

[60]  Thomas J. Morrow,et al.  Nanowire sensors for multiplexed detection of biomolecules. , 2008, Current opinion in chemical biology.

[61]  N Balasubramanian,et al.  DNA sensing by silicon nanowire: charge layer distance dependence. , 2008, Nano letters.

[62]  Bryce Osoinach.  Proximity Capacitive Sensor Technology for Touch Sensing Applications , 2008 .

[63]  Kensall D. Wise,et al.  Integrated sensors, MEMS, and microsystems: Reflections on a fantastic voyage , 2007 .

[64]  Rosa Villa,et al.  Manufacturing and full characterization of silicon carbide-based multi-sensor micro-probes for biomedical applications , 2007, Microelectron. J..

[65]  Steven A. Soper,et al.  Bio-MEMS : Technologies and Applications , 2006 .

[66]  Marco Mascini,et al.  Planar electrochemical sensors for biomedical applications. , 2006, Medical engineering & physics.

[67]  Hiranmay Saha,et al.  Design optimization of a high performance silicon MEMS piezoresistive pressure sensor for biomedical applications , 2006 .

[68]  H. Saha,et al.  Low Pressure Piezoresistive Sensors for Medical Electronics Applications , 2006 .

[69]  Steven S. Saliterman,et al.  Fundamentals of bioMEMS and medical microdevices , 2006 .

[70]  Nepomuk Otte,et al.  The Silicon Photomultiplier - A new device for High Energy Physics, Astroparticle Physics, Industrial and Medical Applications , 2006 .

[71]  A. Ksendzov,et al.  Integrated optics ring-resonator sensors for protein detection. , 2005, Optics letters.

[72]  Khalil Arshak,et al.  Review of the potential of a wireless MEMS microsystem for biomedical applications , 2005 .

[73]  P. Dario,et al.  Design and fabrication of a hybrid silicon three-axial force sensor for biomechanical applications , 2005 .

[74]  Robert Langer,et al.  A BioMEMS review: MEMS technology for physiologically integrated devices , 2004, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[75]  Kishore Sundara-Rajan,et al.  Interdigital sensors and transducers , 2004, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[76]  Jenshan Lin,et al.  Wireless IC Doppler radars for sensing of heart and respiration activity , 2003, 6th International Conference on Telecommunications in Modern Satellite, Cable and Broadcasting Service, 2003. TELSIKS 2003..

[77]  Michael J. Sailor,et al.  Polymer Replicas of Photonic Porous Silicon for Sensing and Drug Delivery Applications , 2003, Science.

[78]  Chun-Sing Lee,et al.  Silicon nanowires as chemical sensors , 2003 .

[79]  P. Sorger,et al.  Electronic detection of DNA by its intrinsic molecular charge , 2002, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[80]  Pavel Neuzil,et al.  An ISFET-based immunosensor for the detection of β-Bungarotoxin , 2002 .

[81]  G. Kotzar,et al.  Evaluation of MEMS materials of construction for implantable medical devices. , 2002, Biomaterials.

[82]  Makoto Ishida,et al.  A sensor for blood cell counter using MEMS technology , 2002 .

[83]  Artur Dybko,et al.  Multi-ion analysis based on versatile sensor head , 2001 .

[84]  Rosa Villa,et al.  New technology for multi-sensor silicon needles for biomedical applications , 2001 .

[85]  S. Swiryn,et al.  Sensing and documentation of body position during ambulatory ECG monitoring , 2000, Computers in Cardiology 2000. Vol.27 (Cat. 00CH37163).

[86]  A. Soldatkin,et al.  β-Lactamase label-based potentiometric biosensor for α-2 interferon detection , 1999 .

[87]  J. Judy.  BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF MEMS , 1999 .

[88]  Mark A. Hartney,et al.  New amorphous-silicon image sensor for x-ray diagnostic medical imaging applications , 1998, Medical Imaging.

[89]  David A. Borkholder,et al.  Cell based biosensors using microelectrodes , 1998 .

[90]  O. Tohyama,et al.  A fiber-optic pressure microsensor for biomedical applications , 1997, Proceedings of International Solid State Sensors and Actuators Conference (Transducers '97).

[91]  A.F.P. van Putten,et al.  A silicon bidirectional flow sensor for measuring respiratory flow , 1997, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[92]  David N. Reinhoudt,et al.  Durable chemical sensors based on field-effect transistors , 1995 .

[93]  E. Lewis,et al.  Silicon-substrate microelectrode arrays for parallel recording of neural activity in peripheral and cranial nerves , 1994, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[94]  D. Hill.  Progress in medical instrumentation over the past fifty years. , 1968, Journal of scientific instruments.

[95]  P. W. Chapman,et al.  Silicon Diffused-Element Piezoresistive Diaphragms , 1962 .

[96]  Charles S. Smith.  Piezoresistance Effect in Germanium and Silicon , 1954 .

[97]  Geoff G. DIAMOND,et al.  A New Capacitive Imaging Technique for NDT , .