Silicon nanowire bioelectronic sensor platform for health and environmental monitoring 

Fatima Toor; Lowell G. Battershell Endowed Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Iowa

Bioelectronic sensors, which output electrical signals for biological detection, have unique advantages in miniaturization, fast response, and portability. Despite that nanowire (NW) based biosensors have demonstrated high performance, complex fabrication methods that are not compatible with industrial production are usually implemented to manufacture these NW biosensors. This talk will cover our team’s recent work in the design, nanofabrication, and characterization of a rapid and cost-effective silicon nanowire (SiNW) biosensor platform that is less than one centimeter squared in area and is suited for industrial mass production. The SiNWs in the biosensor are fabricated using a silver-assisted chemical etch process, which is a mass-producible and CMOS-compatible, with tunable etch rate, and high reproducibility. We will present results of our recent demonstrations on the use of the SiNW biosensor platform for the detection of cancer biomarkers, COVID-19 virus, and estrogenic water contaminants.