We have previously demonstrated electrochemical circuits for measuring the concentration of various biomolecules and drugs using structure-switching aptamers. Structure-switching aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids that can be sequenced to exhibit conformational changes when bound to specific biomolecules. By conjugating aptamers with a redox reporter, voltammetry or amperometry-based measurements can be applied and signals in the nano to pico-amp scale can be captured using transimpedance amplifiers (TIA). Because the signals of interest are very small, noise-cancellation...
The Electrochemical Aptamer-based (E-AB) sensors provide continuous and real-time monitoring of specific target molecules, including proteins, antibiotics, neurotransmitters, and more. Due to the cost-effectiveness compared to enzyme sensing assays, E-AB platforms hold significant promise for point-of-care devices and precision medicine. However, sensitivity remains a challenge, particularly in the complicated environment, such as blood and serum. While research has achieved a noise level in the picoampere range, enhancing sensitivity is crucial for detecting trace amounts of certain...
The electron in Paul trap system has been recently proposed as a candidate for qubits in quantum information processing. In such a system, floating electrons are confined in vacuum using oscillating electric fields. Feasibility studies and experimental trapping at room temperature have shown that electrons satisfy all DiVincenzo's criteria, a common standard used to determine whether a system can be a good candidate to perform quantum computation. More importantly, electrons have several advantages in quantum information processing as compared to trapped ions. Electrons are spin-½...
Tellurium-based materials (tellurides) are promising materials for p-channel transistors due to their compatibility with various elements and deposition methods. This versatility facilitates integration into diverse device architectures and enables the implementation of tailored electrical, thermal, optical, and structural properties. We investigate tellurium-based materials and their deposition techniques to optimize these multifaceted characteristics for advanced electronic applications.
Nanostructured materials have become an exciting area of research for the improvement of traditional electronic sensors. The high surface area to volume ratio of nanoflowers, nano-urchins, and nanoporous materials has allowed them to exhibit significant improvements in limit of detection and sensitivity compared to analogous planar sensors. These complex structures have also demonstrated the capability of improving biofouling resistance in complex media by helping to screen fouling agents from the active surface. Despite these advantages, moving this material beyond the laboratory has...
Integrating microelectronics with microfluidics, especially those implemented in silicon-based CMOS technology, has driven the next generation of in vitro diagnostics. This CMOS/microfluidics platform offers close interfaces between electronics and biological samples and tight integration of readout circuits with multi-channel microfluidics, both of which are crucial factors in achieving enhanced sensitivity and detection throughput. Importantly, conventionally bulky benchtop instruments are now being transformed into millimeter-sized form factors at low cost, making the deployment for...
This project aims to develop flexible inert-environment packaging for nearly any resonant MEMS device to allow evaluation in practical real-world systems.
