Device and Method for Measuring Small Voltages and Potentials on a Biological, Chemical or Other Sample

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This invention describes a device and method for measuring very small voltages and electrical potentials in biological, chemical, or other samples. The device uses a field-effect transistor (FET) with a specialized gate dielectric that contains at least one defect site (attachment point) capable of exchanging charge carriers with the transistor channel. By analyzing stochastic fluctuations (random telegraph signals) in the current caused by this charge exchange, the system can derive precise measurement data about the electrical properties of the sample, such as voltage, potential, or even pH, with far greater sensitivity and accuracy than prior approaches.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Real-time, ultra-sensitive detection of biomolecules such as DNA, proteins, or enzymes in biological samples (biosensing)
• pH measurement in chemical and biological assays with improved precision
• Studying kinetic processes in molecular biology, like DNA hybridization or protein folding, at single-molecule resolution
• Detecting small potential shifts in chemical, clinical or environmental diagnostics
• Analysis of chemical reactions or catalysis requiring detection of minute voltage or potential changes
• Integration into lab-on-a-chip or portable sensing devices for point-of-care or field diagnostics

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Significantly improved sensitivity compared to conventional FET-based sensors, enabling detection of much smaller changes in sample potential or voltage
• Higher precision and accuracy due to evaluation of more details in the signal (using time constants of the telegraph noise instead of just average current)
• Capability to detect single-molecule events and dynamics in real time, providing deeper insight into molecular processes
• Quantitative, reliable comparison between different samples due to the measurement method being largely independent of sample composition effects
• Versatility for diverse sample types, including biological fluids, chemical solutions, or gaseous analytes
• Short measurement times, enabling high-throughput or real-time monitoring applications

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for measuring small voltages and potentials on biological, chemical, and other samples. The device comprises at least one field effect transistor with a source, a drain, and a gate which contacts the sample and is insulated from the conductive channel of the field effect transistor by means of a gate dielectricum. The device also comprises means for applying a voltage between the source and the drain and means for applying a bias voltage to the gate. According to the invention, the gate dielectricum has at least one attachment point in the interior of the gate dielectricum, said attachment point being capable of collecting charge carriers from the channel and conversely dispensing the charge carriers to the channel. By using such an attachment point to permanently exchange charge carriers with the channel in a statistic manner, the attachment point superimposes the current flowing through the channel, and thus through the transistor, with a telegraph modulation signal, the characteristic time constants of which can be used as a measurement signal for the potential or voltage of the sample instead of the drain current average time value used until now. In this manner, a greater amount of the measured information is evaluated with respect to the desired result, thereby substantially improving the sensitivity and precision of the measurement.