Urea biosensor based on an extended-base bipolar junction transistor

In this study, a urea biosensor was prepared by the immobilization of urease onto the sensitive membrane of an extended-base bipolar junction transistor. The pH variation was used to detect the concentration of urea. The SnO2/ITO glass, fabricated by sputtering SnO2 on the conductive ITO glass, was used as a pH-sensitive membrane, which was connected with a commercial bipolar junction transistor device. The gels, fabricated by the poly vinyl alcohol with pendent styrylpyridinium groups, were used to immobilize the urease. This readout circuit, fabricated in a 0.35-um CMOS 2P4M process, operated at 3.3V supply voltage. This circuit occupied an area of 1.0 mm × 0.9 mm. The dynamic range of the urea biosensor was from 1.4 to 64 mg/dl at the 10 mM phosphate buffer solution and the sensitivity of this range was about 65.8 mV/pUrea. The effect of urea biosensors with different pH values was considered, and the characteristics of urea biosensors based on EBBJT were described.