IME研究人员试图研发硅纳米线传感器

新加坡的微电子研究所(IME)将与美国伊利诺伊大学厄本那—香槟分校(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)合作探索设计和制造纳米线传感器的新方法。他们的目标是创造出一种商业化的传感器，最终可在定点保健(point-of-care)测试系统中用于检测癌变信号的蛋白质。

根据该项合作协议，用于制造基于纳米线场效应晶体管(FET)传感器的FET纳米板阵列将在伊利诺伊州完成设计，而这些器件将在新加坡IME的8英寸CMOS晶圆厂中进行制造。(相关研讨会推荐：精确可靠的磁阻（MR）传感器，替代标准NTC解决方案）

研究人员认为硅纳米线传感器可以助力快速、低成本、高通量的生物测试方案。但是，他们至今仍未找到一条可行的方法来设计和制造一致性、有复验性结果的器件。

“现在仍然存在一些关键的未知数，例如周围环境的影响和纳米线传感器的静电屏蔽性能等。”IME的首席研究员Chen Yu表示。

定点保健诊断系统是医疗保健市场一个增长最快的领域之一，据估计到2013年，该领域的价值将超过225亿美元。

翻译/编辑：Ana Hu

点击进入参考原文：Researchers seek silicon nanowire sensors

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Researchers seek silicon nanowire sensors

Rick Merritt

Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics (IME) will collaborate with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to explore new ways to design and make nanowire sensors. Their goal is to create commercial sensors that could eventually be used in point-of-care test systems to detect proteins that signal cancer.

The partnership pairs technology for fabricating silicon-based nanowire field-effect transistor (FET) sensors developed in Singapore with FET nanoplate arrays designed in Illinois. The devices will be made at IME’s 8-inch CMOS fab in Singapore.

Researchers believe silicon nanowire sensors may be able to power rapid, low-cost and high-throughput biological tests. However, they have so far found no clear path for designing and making the devices with consistent, reproducible results.

"A number of critical unknowns remain, such as the influence of the surrounding environment and electrostatic screening on nanowire sensor performance,” said Chen Yu, a principal investigator at IME.

Point-of-care diagnostic systems are one of the fastest-growing areas in health care, a market expected to be worth more than $22.5 billion in 2013, according to some estimates.