Programmable ion-sensitive transistor interfaces. II. Biomolecular sensing and manipulation

The chemoreceptive neuron metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor described in the preceding paper is further used to monitor the adsorption and interaction of DNA molecules and subsequently manipulate the adsorbed biomolecules with injected static charge. Adsorption of DNA molecules onto poly-L-lysine-coated sensing gates (SGs) modulates the floating gate (FG) potential psi(O), which is reflected as a threshold voltage shift measured from the control gate (CG) V-th_CG. The asymmetric capacitive coupling between the CG and SG to the FG results in V-th_CG amplification. The electric field in the SG oxide E-SG_ox is fundamentally different when we drive the current readout with V-CG and V-ref (i.e., the potential applied to the CG and reference electrode, respectively). The V-CG-driven readout induces a larger E-SG_ox, leading to a larger V-th_CG shift when DNA is present. Simulation studies indicate that the counterion screening within the DNA membrane is responsible for this effect. The DNA manipulation mechanism is enabled by tunneling electrons (program) or holes (erase) onto FGs to produce repulsive or attractive forces. Programming leads to repulsion and eventual desorption of DNA, while erasing reestablishes adsorption. We further show that injected holes or electrons prior to DNA addition either aids or disrupts the immobilization process, which can be used for addressable sensor interfaces. To further substantiate DNA manipulation, we used impedance spectroscopy with a split ac-dc technique to reveal the net interface impedance before and after charge injection.