Ultra-Low-Cost Integrated Silicon-based Transducer for On-Site, Genetic Detection of Pathogens

Estefania Nunez-Bajo; Michael Kasimatis; Yasin Cotur; Tarek Asfour; Alex Collins; Ugur Tanriverdi; Max Grell; Matti Kaisti; Guglielmo Senesi; Karen Stevenson; Firat Guder

The ideal, miniaturized, low-cost portable detection system for NA must be able to heat up the sample from the patient to the desired temperature setpoint with high precision (using a heater and temperature sensor) and measure the results of the amplification reactions quantitatively, all in an integrated fashion. Using cleanroom-based semiconductor fabrication methods, such systems have been reported; [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] however, these devices require advanced methods of microfabrication that can only be performed in a cleanroom, such as photolithography, vacuum etching/deposition etc. They also do not exploit the intrinsic properties of the semiconductor materials that are used as substrates (i.e. Si itself can be used both as a temperature sensor and electrical heater). Hence the devices reported are complex and expensive. Because semiconductor foundries are mainly located in East Asia, manufacturing and logistics are susceptible to disruptions in the supply chain due to unexpected events (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic). There is, therefore, still no viable low-cost, rapid, quantitative, integrated handheld NA testing solution available for use in the field with the potential for market wide availability.