A Hybrid Microfluidic/CMOS Capacitive Sensor Dedicated to Lab-on-Chip Applications

A hybrid microfluidic/IC capacitive sensor is presented in this paper for highly integrated lab-on-chips (LoCs). We put forward the design and implementation of a charge based capacitive sensor array in 0.18-mum CMOS process. This sensor chip is incorporated with a microfluidic channel using direct-write microfluidic fabrication process (DWFP). The design, construction and experimental results as well are demonstrated using four different chemical solutions with known dielectric constants. The proposed highly sensitive CMOS capacitive sensor (ap530 mV/fF) along with low complexity DWFP emerges as clear favorite for LoC applications.