The charge transfer technique, which is capable of operating in charge accumulation-mode, is suitable for use in pH-imaging to detect small changes in potential. An advanced charge-transfer-type hydrogen ion image sensor consisting of 128 × 128 pixels with a 23-µm pixel pitch is fabricated. A new scanning system and high-performance drive buffer circuits are adopted to achieve high frame rates. For miniaturization of the sensor pixels, we developed an advanced new fabrication process. The pH sensitivity is 32.8 mV/pH when using standard pH solutions. Videos of the movement of hydrogen ions are clearly obtained with the 128 × 128 pixels display, and photo images are taken simultaneously with the videos of the movement of hydrogen ions. A frame rate of 58 frames per second is realized with this image sensor.
Making several simultaneous measurements with different kinds of sensors at the same location in a solution is difficult because of crosstalk between the sensors. In addition, because the conditions at different locations in plant beds differ, in situ measurements in agriculture need to be done in small localized areas. We have fabricated a multimodal sensor on a small Si chip in which a pH sensor was integrated with electrical conductivity (EC) and temperature sensors. An ISFET with a Si3N4 membrane was used for the pH sensor. For the EC sensor, the electrical conductivity between platinum electrodes was measured, and the temperature sensor was a p-n junction diode. These are some of the most important measurements required for controlling the conditions in plant beds. The multimodal sensor can be inserted into a plant bed for in situ monitoring. To confirm the absence of crosstalk between the sensors, we made simultaneous measurements of pH, EC, and temperature of a pH buffer solution in a plant bed. When the solution was diluted with hot or cold water, the real time measurements showed changes to the EC and temperature, but no change in pH. We also demonstrated that our sensor was capable of simultaneous in situ measurements in rock wool without being affected by crosstalk.
A new electrical conductivity (EC) sensor with Pt electrodes on a Si substrate was proposed for use in agricultural applications. The complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) logic technology-compatible sensor was successfully fabricated with a small chip (area, 25 mm2). This sensor was used for an alternating voltage, owing to the polarization of the Pt electrode and its best operation at 10 kHz frequency. Measurements were conducted on water with electrical conductivities ranging from 10-2 to 101 S/m, which shows sufficient linearity for use as a sensor for agriculture applications. It was also possible to be miniaturized. In an agricultural application, measurements were carried out with the sensor inserted in the rock wools, which was confirmed by the linearity of the values obtained using the sensor. In addition, successful real-time measurements using the sensor were conducted by inserting the sensor into the compost in the vicinity of the roots of a tomato seedling. This sensor provides a promising solution for an EC sensor for broad fields of agricultural applications.
The monolithic integration of a silicon-based plasmonic detector with metaloxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) was demonstrated. The plasmonic detector consisted of a gold film with a nanoslit grating on a silicon substrate and was operated at a free-space wavelength of 1550 nm. The structure of the nanoslit grating was optimized by using the finite-difference time-domain method. The output current from the plasmonic detector was amplified by $14 000 times using the monolithically integrated MOSFETs. In addition, dynamic operation of the integrated circuit was demonstrated by modulation of the intensity of a beam that was incident to the plasmonic detector.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.