Infineon Technologies has developed an electronic biochip that
combines biochemical test cells with electronic circuitry on a
single silicon chip.
The device, the first of its kind, will make testing of proteins
and nucleic acids simpler and cheaper than current optical analysis
techniques, Infineon said.
Laboratory tests of prototype biochips are expected to begin in
early 2003.
The test biochips contain 128 separate "wells" measuring 100
microns in diameter, each of which can be set up to perform a
specific biochemical test. Depending on the substances being
tested, a characteristic electrical current is generated in each
well, which sensors transmit to the electronic circuits on the
biochip for analysis.
The timeline and intensity of the electrical current from each well
identifies the composition and concentration of the tested
substance.
The electronic portion of the chip is based on standard CMOS
technology, while the biochemical part of the chip is made of gold
sensor electrodes integrated onto the chip. The ability to attach
these gold electrodes without affecting the CMOS structure is the
key technology breakthrough, Infineon said.
With this advance, standard CMOS production methods can be used to
produce biochips with built-in analysis capability. Infineon
claimed that the biochips would therefore make medical diagnosis
less costly, faster, and more efficient.
In the long-term, biochips could be used in more sophisticated
applications, such as determining whether or not a patient has
adverse reactions to a medication.