An integrated CMOS high voltage supply for lab-on-a-chip systems

Area of Science:

• Microelectronic Engineering
• Biotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technologies are crucial for molecular biology and medical diagnostics, often relying on electrophoresis.
• High voltage (HV) power supplies for electrophoresis represent a significant cost barrier to LOC technology adoption.
• Current LOC systems require separate, expensive HV components, limiting widespread accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective, integrated solution for generating and controlling high voltages (HV) for lab-on-a-chip (LOC) electrophoresis.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of using complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology for on-chip HV generation and management.
• To reduce the overall system cost and complexity of LOC devices.

Main Methods:

• A novel CMOS chip was designed and fabricated for generating and switching hundreds of volts.
• The chip operates from a standard 5 V input supply with low power consumption (28 mW).
• A standard computer serial interface was used for controlling the HV outputs of the CMOS chip.

Main Results:

• The CMOS chip successfully generated high voltages (hundreds of volts) and switched HV outputs.
• Microchip electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection was implemented using the developed HV CMOS chip.
• The integrated system demonstrated the potential for miniaturized and cost-effective electrophoresis.

Conclusions:

• CMOS technology offers a viable and cost-effective approach for on-chip high voltage generation in LOC devices.
• This integrated HV CMOS chip can significantly reduce the cost and size of electrophoresis instrumentation.
• These advancements pave the way for 'true' lab-on-a-chip solutions integrating microfluidics, photonics, and electronics on a single chip.