Advancement and Challenges of Biosensing Using Field Effect Transistors

Abstract

Field-effect transistors (FETs) have become eminent electronic devices for biosensing applications owing to their high sensitivity, faster response and availability of advanced fabrication techniques for their production. The device physics of this sensor is now well understood due to the emergence of several numerical modelling and simulation papers over the years. The pace of advancement along with the knowhow of theoretical concepts proved to be highly effective in detecting deadly pathogens, especially the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein of the coronavirus with the onset of the (coronavirus disease of 2019) COVID-19 pandemic. However, the advancement in the sensing system is also accompanied by various hurdles that degrade the performance. In this review, we have explored all these challenges and how these are tackled with innovative approaches, techniques and device modifications that have also raised the detection sensitivity and specificity. The functional materials of the device are also structurally modified towards improving the surface area and minimizing power dissipation for developing miniaturized microarrays applicable in ultra large scale integration (ULSI) technology. Several theoretical models and simulations have also been carried out in this domain which have given a deeper insight on the electron transport mechanism in these devices and provided the direction for optimizing performance.

Numerical Simulation of Hetero Dielectric Trench Gate JAM Gate-All-Around FET (HDTG-JAM-GAAFET) for Label Free Biosensing Applications

“…8,9 The presence of biomolecules possessing a specific dielectric constant within the nanocavity leads to a modification in the gate dielectric capacitance, resulting in a discernible alteration in the threshold voltage. 4,10 Also, the variation in the current due to the threshold voltage change confirms the existence of the specific biomolecules. 9,11 The fabrication of traditional FET biosensors at ultra-small device sizes is currently challenging due to serious issues such as short-channel effects (SCEs), 12 drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL), hot electron effects, impact ionisation effects, sub-threshold swing, and gate tunnelling current.…”

“…[1][2][3] Field effect transistors (FETs) have emerged as highly promising sensing devices, including biosensors, due to their advantages of simple fabrication, affordability, and rapid response. 4 Label-based biosensing systems are time-consuming, expensive, and labour-intensive. Furthermore, biomolecule labelling may limit the number of active binding sites and impact binding characteristics.…”

Addressing Signal Drift and Screening for Detection of Biomarkers with Carbon Nanotube Transistors

“…While there is some level of repeatability within these results, the device yield is not yet 100%; only some of the fabricated devices present stable and sensitive results that do not show signs of excessive gate leakage or signal drift. Unfortunately, device-to-device variation and yield remain some of the greater challenges in the field of electronic biosensing and are not exclusive to this work. , What is certain is that systematically addressing signal drift in BioFETs is a critical aspect of improving the yield and reducing variability, which highlights the importance of the findings in this study. However, there are several other contributing factors to the yield and variability challenges that must be addressed in future work.…”

Recent Advances in Electrochemical Biosensors for Monitoring Animal Cell Function and Viability

“…Among the different forms of biochemical sensors, the combination of biological elements and an FET is the most intriguing. In 1970, an FET without a gate metallization was designated as an ion-sensitive FET (ISFET) for detecting ion concentrations [ 94 , 95 ]. This modified FET was classified as an oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (OSFET).…”