CMOS circuits for lab-on-chip analyte detection

这项NSERC Discovery Grant研究了芯片上实验室诊断应用中使用的CMOS电路和兼容器件，以提高荧光标记分子的光学检测灵敏度。 大多数芯片上实验室的工作，也被称为微全分析系统或生物MEMS，不在微流控芯片上放置仪器，而需要在工作台上使用广泛的光学、高压和电子仪器来支持芯片-这种方法可以被称为实验室中的芯片。与DALSA半导体(Bromont QC)合作，我们构建了集成的微电子-微流体系统，其中包括仪器，将系统成本和潜在的系统尺寸降低到USB闪存盘的大小。 在这项提议中，我们着眼于更长期的电路建设，以提高这些CMOS-BioMEMS的灵敏度，并改善检测极限。方法将包括在噪声和偏移量减少、CMOS雪崩光电二极管和荧光寿命(用于测量激发光被移除后衰减的荧光的脉冲激发光源)方面的新变化。其中一些工作也可能适用于微光图像传感器。 可以说，设备最好的集成微电子-微流控芯片的制造目前位于加拿大。我们相信，从长远来看，我们可以帮助加拿大制造商在未来的生物微机械全球市场上占据相当大的份额。

This NSERC Discovery Grant examines CMOS circuits and CMOS-compatible devices to enhance the sensitivity of optical detection of fluorescently labeled molecules as used in Lab-on-Chip diagnostic applications. Most Lab-on-Chip work, alternatively named micro-total-analysis-systems or BioMEMS, puts no instrumentation on the microfluidic chip and requires extensive optical, high voltage and electronic instrumentation on the bench, supporting the chip - this approach could instead be called chip-in-a-lab. With DALSA Semiconducteur (Bromont QC), we have built integrated microelectronic-microfluidic systems that include the instrumentation, reducing system cost and the potential system size to that of a USB memory key. In this proposal, we are looking longer term to build circuits to increase the sensitivity of these CMOS-BioMEMS and improve the limit of detection. Approaches will include new variations on noise and offset reductions, CMOS avalanche photodiodes and fluorescence lifetime (pulsed excitation light source for measuring the decaying fluorescence after excitation light is removed). Some of this work could also be applicable to low light image sensors. Arguably, the best equipped manufacturing for integrated microelectronic-microfluidic chips is presently located in Canada. We believe that in the long term we can help secure a significant portion of the future world market of BioMEMS for Canadian manufacturers.