Crossing the Nernst Limit (59 mV/pH) of Sensitivity Through Tunneling Transistor-Based Biosensor

In this work, an underlap structure of tunneling field-effect transistor (TFET) containing electrolyte/watery solution is examined to enhance the Nernst limit (59 mV/pH) of sensitivity. After incorporating the electrolyte medium in TFET, effect of pH variation on device characteristics such as drain current vs front gate voltage, voltage sensitivity, and current sensitivity are investigated. The interface charge density at the oxide-silicon interface of TFET is obtained as a function of electrolyte pH from physics-based modelling. Voltage sensitivity value similar to 180 mV/pH that is greater than three times of Nernst limit of 59mV/pH and current sensitivity value that is more than one decade per pH are observed for TFET based sensor. In order to validate the results, models used in TFET are well-calibrated with experimental data and the result of TFET are compared with inversion mode (IM) device. Results show that TFET gives superior performance than IM device; hence an underlap TFET can be a promising alternative for the next generation biosensor.

Automated summary

This work investigates the underlap structure of a TFET with electrolyte/watery solution to enhance sensitivity beyond the Nernst limit, achieving a voltage sensitivity of 180 mV/pH and a current sensitivity greater than one decade per pH. Results show that the TFET outperforms the IM device, demonstrating its potential as a promising alternative for future biosensors.