Highly sensitive ZnO NWFET biosensor fabricated using top-down processes

Abstract

A highly sensitive low-doped ZnO nanowire field effect transistor (NWFET) biosensor has been fabricated and measured. The low doped biosensor with NWFET transducer was used to sense charge of the following substances: lysozyme (LYSO), phosphate buffered saline (PBS), bovine serum albumin (BSA). It achieved maximum sensitivity of-543.2 % for the PBS-LYSO protein and 13, 069 % for the PBS-BSA protein. These results were achieved because the electrical measurement and characterisation was focused on the charge effect of the LYSO and BSA acting on the ZnO nanowire subthreshold region. The nano-fabrication process is stable and reproducible. The high sensitivity of the ZnO NWFET biosensor can be exploited for selective analyte detection by functionalizing the nanowire surface with antibodies and/or other biomolecular probe molecules.