Characterization of standard CMOS compatible photodiodes and pixels for Lab-on-Chip devices

High quality CMOS image sensors are of great importance for LoC - Lab-on-Chip devices based on optical measurements. The main target in these devices is to minimize the cost and area while achieving a good resolution. The performance parameters of image sensor pixels and CMOS compatible photodiodes depend on the size, type and the geometry of the photodiode layout and varies for each technology. In this study, we present a comparative analysis of CMOS compatible photodiode types at different areas. The results have shown n-well/p-sub type photodiode with 5×5 μm<sup>2</sup> diffusion area achieves the highest sensitivity (69.81 × 10<sup>12</sup> V.s<sup>-1</sup>.cm<sup>-2</sup>/W.cm<sup>-2</sup>) and with 40 × 40 μm<sup>2</sup> diffusion area, highest SNR - Signal-to-Noise Ratio (72.26dB) at 630 nm, while the p<sup>+</sup>/n-well/p-sub type photodiode with 40 × 40 μm<sup>2</sup> diffusion area results in highest responsivity (0.466 A. cm<sup>-2</sup>/W.cm<sup>-2</sup>) at the same wavelength.

[1]  Yusuf Leblebici,et al.  Quantitative comparison of commercial CCD and custom-designed CMOS camera for biological applications , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems.

[2]  Horst Zimmermann,et al.  CMOS photodiode with enhanced responsivity for the UV/blue spectral range , 2002 .

[3]  Sandro Carrara,et al.  The NutriChip project – translating technology into nutritional knowledge , 2012, British Journal of Nutrition.

[4]  Yael Nemirovsky,et al.  Dimensional effects in CMOS photodiodes , 2002 .

[5]  Alexandre Pauchard Silicon sensor microsystem for ultraviolet detection , 2000 .

[6]  Hans Peter Herzig,et al.  Performance of an integrated microoptical system for fluorescence detection in microfluidic systems. , 2002, Analytical chemistry.

[7]  R. Etienne-Cummings,et al.  Which Photodiode to Use: A Comparison of CMOS-Compatible Structures , 2009, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[8]  Kartikeya Murari,et al.  An integrated imaging microscope for untethered cortical imaging in freely-moving animals , 2010, 2010 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology.

[9]  P. Martin-Gonthier,et al.  Overview of CMOS process and design options for image sensor dedicated to space applications , 2005, SPIE Remote Sensing.

[10]  Mona E. Zaghloul,et al.  Point-of-care early HIV diagnosis system on the CMOS & microfluidic hybrid platform , 2012, Proceedings of 2012 IEEE-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical and Health Informatics.

[11]  R. Popovic,et al.  A silicon blue/UV selective stripe-shaped photodiode , 1999 .