Self-Polarized P(VDF-TrFE)/Carbon Black Composite Piezoelectric Thin Film.

Self-polarized energy harvesting materials have seen increasing research interest in recent years owing to their simple fabrication method and versatile application potential. In this study, we systematically investigated self-polarized P(VDF-TrFE)/carbon black (CB) composite thin films synthesized on flexible substrates, with the CB content varying from 0 to 0.6 wt.% in P(VDF-TrFE). The presence of -OH functional groups on carbon black significantly enhances its crystallinity, dipolar orientation, and piezoelectric performance. Multiple characterization techniques were used to investigate the crystalline quality, chemical structure, and morphology of the composite P(VDF-TrFE)/CB films, which indicated no significant changes in these parameters. However, some increase in surface roughness was observed when the CB content increased. With the application of an external force, the piezoelectrically generated voltage was found to systematically increase with higher CB content, reaching a maximum value at 0.6 wt.%, after which the sample exhibited low resistance. The piezoelectric voltage produced by the unpoled 0.6 wt.% CB composite film significantly exceeded the unpoled pure P(VDF-TrFE) film when subjected to the same applied strain. Furthermore, it exhibited exceptional stability in the piezoelectric voltage over time, exceeding the output voltage of the poled pure P(VDF-TrFE) film. Notably, P(VDF_TrFE)/CB composite-based devices can be used in energy harvesting and piezoelectric strain sensing to monitor human motions, which has the potential to positively impact the field of smart wearable devices.

Low-Power AlGaN/GaN Triangular Microcantilever for Air Flow Detection.

This paper investigates an AlGaN/GaN triangular microcantilever with a heated apex for airflow detection utilizing a very simple two-terminal sensor configuration. Thermal microscope images were used to verify that the apex region of the microcantilever reached significantly higher temperatures than other parts under applied voltage bias. The sensor response was found to vary linearly with airflow rate when tested over a range of airflow varying from 16 to 2000 sccm. The noise-limited flow volume measurement yielded ~4 sccm resolution, while the velocity resolution was found to be 0.241 cm/s, which is one of the best reported so far for thermal sensors. The sensor was able to operate at a very low power consumption level of ~5 mW, which is one of the lowest reported for these types of sensors. The intrinsic response time of the sensor was estimated to be on the order of a few ms, limited by its thermal properties. Overall, the microcantilever sensor, with its simple geometry and measurement configurations, was found to exhibit attractive performance metrics useful for various sensing applications.

Infrared Transmission Characteristics of Phase Transitioning VO2 on Various Substrates.

Infrared transmission characteristics of VO2 thin films synthesized on multiple substrates, using a low-pressure direct oxidation technique, have been characterized. Material characterization of these films indicates high material quality, which resulted in large variation of electrical and optical properties at phase transition. A change in optical transmissivity greater than 80% was observed for these films utilizing infrared (IR) laser illumination at 1550 nm. Phase transition enabled by temperature change induced by a pulsed high-power laser beam resulted in modulated IR laser transmission with a low time constant in VO2 on transparent quartz and muscovite substrates. Investigation of the effect of mechanical strain on phase transition in VO2 grown on flexible muscovite substrate indicate shift in transition temperature to higher for tensile and lower for compressive strains.

Mechanical memory operations in piezotransistive GaN microcantilevers using Au nanoparticle-enhanced photoacoustic excitation.

Nonlinear oscillations in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems have emerged as an exciting research area in recent years due to their promise in realizing low-power, scalable, and reconfigurable mechanical memory and logic devices. Here, we report ultralow-power mechanical memory operations utilizing the nonlinear oscillation regime of GaN microcantilevers with embedded piezotransistive AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors as highly sensitive deflection transducers. Switching between the high and low oscillatory states of the nonlinear oscillation regime was demonstrated using a novel phase-controlled opto-mechanical excitation setup, utilizing a piezo actuator and a pulsed laser as the primary and secondary excitation sources, respectively. Laser-based photoacoustic excitation was amplified through plasmonic absorption in Au nanoparticles deposited on a transistor. Thus, the minimum switching energy required for reliable memory operations was reduced to less than a picojoule (pJ), which translates to one of the lowest ever reported, when normalized for mass.

Voltage triggered near-infrared light modulation using VO2 thin film.

Development of compact and fast modulators of infrared light has garnered strong research interests in recent years due to their potential applications in communication, imaging, and sensing. In this study, electric field induced fast modulation near-infrared light caused by phase change in VO2 thin films grown on GaN suspended membranes has been reported. It was observed that metal insulator transition caused by temperature change or application of electric field, using an interdigitated finger geometry, resulted in 7% and 14% reduction in transmitted light intensity at near-infrared wavelengths of 790 and 1550 nm, respectively. Near-infrared light modulation has been demonstrated with voltage pulse widths down to 300 µs at 25 V magnitude. Finite element simulations performed on the suspended membrane modulator indicate a combination of the Joule heating and electric field is responsible for the phase transition.

Electrically or chemically tunable photodetector with ultra high responsivity using graphene/InN nanowire based mixed dimensional barristors.

In this work, an electrically/chemically tunable highly sensitive photodetector based on mixed dimensional heterojunction of graphene and planar InN nanowires (NW) is presented. Controlled partial oxidation of InN has been employed to effectively reduce the high surface carrier concentration of InN, which normally prevents it from forming good rectifying contact with graphene. The resulting surface modified InN NWs have been found to form excellent Schottky junction with graphene, with an increase in effective Schottky barrier height (SBH) by over 1.1 eV and a ratio of forward and reverse bias currents exceeding 4 orders of magnitude. Moreover, very strong barristor (gate tunable heterojunction) action has been observed, withIon/Ioff ≈ 4 orders of magnitude, and SBH increase by >0.3 eV. The barristor has been demonstrated to be highly sensitive to light, especially in the ultra-voilet, visible and near IR spectra. Responsivity was found to be widely tunable by gate voltage, with the highest value exceeding 1000 A W-1. Rise and fall times being in the range of hundreds of ms are indicative of photoconductive gain, which can be attributed to the ultra high responsivity. A method of semi-permanent molecular doping has been demonstrated to realize a two-terminal version of the photodetector, where the desired responsivity can still be achieved without requiring a back gate terminal, enabling the device to be realized on insulating substrates. The effect of encapsulation has been studied as a function of time, which has showed the long term stability of the dopant-induced enhancement and ultra high responsivity of the barristor photodetector.

H2 Detection Using Plasmonically Generated Surface Photoacoustic Waves in Pd Nanoparticle-Deposited GaN Microcantilevers.

Detection of H2 using plasmonic amplification of surface photoacoustic (SPA) waves generated in Pd nanoparticle-deposited GaN piezotransistive microcantilevers has been investigated using a pulsed 520 nm laser. Using 1.5 nm thickness of the Pd functionalization layer, H2 detection down to 1.5 ppm was demonstrated with a high signal-to-noise ratio, underscoring the feasibility of sub-ppm level detection using this novel sensing method. Adsorption of H2 in Pd nanoparticles (NPs) changes their plasmonic absorption spectra because of Pd lattice expansion, in addition to changing their work function. The high sensitivity exhibited by the SPA-based H2 detection method is attributed to a combination of changes in the plasmonic spectrum and work function of Pd NPs and was observed to be a strong function of Pd thickness, biasing conditions, and probe laser power. A comparison of the SPA-based detection technique with traditional chemidiode and chemiresistor sensors, integrated in the functionalized piezotransistor, indicated a superior detection performance of the former.

Investigation of AlGaN/GaN HFET and VO2 Thin Film Based Deflection Transducers Embedded in GaN Microcantilevers.

The static and dynamic deflection transducing performances of piezotransistive AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field effect transistors (HFET) and piezoresistive VO2 thin films, fabricated on GaN microcantilevers of similar dimensions, were investigated. Deflection sensitivities were tuned with the gate bias and operating temperature for embedded AlGaN/GaN HFET and VO2 thin film transducers, respectively. The GaN microcantilevers were excited with a piezoactuator in their linear and nonlinear oscillation regions of the fundamental oscillatory mode. In the linear regime, the maximum deflection sensitivity of piezotransistive AlGaN/GaN HFET reached up to a 0.5% change in applied drain voltage, while the responsivity of the piezoresistive VO2 thin film based deflection transducer reached a maximum value of 0.36% change in applied drain current. The effects of the gate bias and the operation temperature on nonlinear behaviors of the microcantilevers were also experimentally examined. Static deflection sensitivity measurements demonstrated a large change of 16% in drain-source resistance of the AlGaN/GaN HFET, and a similarly high 11% change in drain-source resistance in the VO2 thin film, corresponding to a 10 µm downward step bending of the cantilever free end.

Photoacoustic Detection of H2 and NH3 Using Plasmonic Signal Enhancement in GaN Microcantilevers.

Photoacoustic (PA) detection of H2 and NH3 using plasmonic excitation in Pt- and Pd-decorated GaN piezotransistive microcantilevers were investigated using pulsed 520-nm laser illumination. The sensing performances of 1-nm Pt and Pd nanoparticle (NP) deposited cantilever devices were compared, of which the Pd-coated sensor devices exhibited consistently better sensing performance, with lower limit of detection and superior signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values, compared to the Pt-coated devices. Among the two functionalization layers, Pd-coated devices were found to respond only to H2 exposure and not to NH3, while Pt-coated devices exhibited repeatable response to both H2 and NH3 exposures, highlighting the potential of the former in performing selective detection between these reducing gases. Optimization of the device-biasing conditions were found to enhance the detection sensitivity of the sensors.

Direct measurement of K+ ion efflux from neuronal cells using a graphene-based ion sensitive field effect transistor.

A graphene-based ion sensitive field effect transistor (GISFET) has been developed and investigated in terms of its ion sensing performance. The GISFET sensor was found to demonstrate a high detection sensitivity enabling direct measurement of K+ ion efflux from live cells. The sensing performance of the GISFET was directly compared to that of a commercial Si ISFET and very similar detection results were obtained, highlighting the promise of the GISFET sensor for ion-sensing applications. Additionally, fabrication of a GISFET array containing 25 devices using a CMOS compatible photolithographic process was demonstrated, which resulted in good uniformity across the array and high ion sensing properties of the devices, underlining their application potential for simultaneous multi-well testing with small sample volume.

Editorial for the Special Issue on MEMS/NEMS Sensors: Fabrication and Application.

MEMS sensors are currently undergoing a phase of exciting technological development, not only enabling advancements in traditional applications such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, but also in emerging applications such as microfluidics, thermoelectromechanical, and harsh environment sensors [...].

Impact of oxygen plasma treatment on carrier transport and molecular adsorption in graphene.

Impact of plasma treatment on graphene's transport properties and interaction with gas molecules has been investigated with Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Hall measurements. Experimental results indicate the formation of nanocrystalline domains and the enhanced fraction of adsorbed oxygen following oxygen plasma treatment, which correlates with a significant reduction in carrier mobility and an increase in carrier density. The oxygen plasma treated graphene was found to exhibit much stronger sensitivity toward NH3 molecules both in terms of magnitude and response rate, attributable to increased domain edges and oxygen adsorption related enhancement in p-type doping. The carrier mobility in plasma exposed graphene was modeled considering both ionized impurity and short-range scattering, which matched well with the experimentally observed mobility.

Piezoresistive Graphene/P(VDF-TrFE) Heterostructure Based Highly Sensitive and Flexible Pressure Sensor.

We report on a novel graphene/P(VDF-TrFE) heterostructure based highly sensitive, flexible, and biocompatible pressure/strain sensor developed through a facile and low-cost fabrication technique. The high piezoelectric coefficient of P(VDF-TrFE) coupled with outstanding electrical properties of graphene makes the sensor device highly sensitive, with an average sensitivity of 0.76 kPa-1, a gauge factor of 445, and signal-to-noise ratio of 60.8 dB in the range of pressure up to 45 mmHg. A model was proposed to explain the sensor operation, based on carrier density and mobility changes induced by the piezoelectric charge generated in response to strain, which was supported by Hall measurements and Raman spectroscopy. Potential applications in wearable sensing for human activity monitoring were also demonstrated.

High Temperature AlGaN/GaN Membrane Based Pressure Sensors.

A highly sensitive Gallium Nitride (GaN) diaphragm based micro-scale pressure sensor with an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistor (HFET) deflection transducer has been designed and fabricated for high temperature applications. The performance of the pressure sensor was studied over a pressure range of 20 kPa, which resulted in an ultra-high sensitivity of ~0.76%/kPa, with a signal-to-noise ratio as high as 16 dB, when biased optimally in the subthreshold region. A high gauge factor of 260 was determined from strain distribution in the sensor membrane obtained from finite element simulations. A repeatable sensor performance was observed over multiple pressure cycles up to a temperature of 200 °C.

Highly Conductive and Transparent Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanoscale Films via Thermal Conversion of Polymer-Encapsulated Graphene Oxide Sheets.

Despite noteworthy progress in the fabrication of large-area graphene sheetlike nanomaterials, the vapor-based processing still requires sophisticated equipment and a multistage handling of the material. An alternative approach to manufacturing functional graphene-based films includes the employment of graphene oxide (GO) micrometer-scale sheets as precursors. However, search for a scalable manufacturing technique for the production of high-quality GO nanoscale films with high uniformity and high electrical conductivity is still continuing. Here we show that conventional dip-coating technique can offer fabrication of high quality mono- and bilayered films made of GO sheets. The method is based on our recent discovery that encapsulating individual GO sheets in a nanometer thick molecular brush copolymer layer allows for the nearly perfect formation of the GO layers via dip coating from water. By thermal reduction the bilayers (cemented by a carbon-forming polymer linker) are converted into highly conductive and transparent reduced GO films with a high conductivity up to 104 S/cm and optical transparency on the level of 90%. The value is the highest electrical conductivity reported for thermally reduced nanoscale GO films and is close to the conductivity of indium tin oxide currently in use for transparent electronic devices, thus making these layers intriguing candidates for replacement of ITO films.

Dual-channel microcantilever heaters for volatile organic compound detection and mixture analysis.

We report on novel microcantilever heater sensors with separate AlGaN/GaN heterostructure based heater and sensor channels to perform advanced volatile organic compound (VOC) detection and mixture analysis. Operating without any surface functionalization or treatment, these microcantilevers utilize the strong surface polarization of AlGaN, as well as the unique heater and sensor channel geometries, to perform selective detection of analytes based on their latent heat of evaporation and molecular dipole moment over a wide concentration range with sub-ppm detection limit. The dual-channel microcantilevers have demonstrated much superior sensing behavior compared to the single-channel ones, with the capability to not only identify individual VOCs with much higher specificity, but also uniquely detect them in a generic multi-component mixture of VOCs. In addition, utilizing two different dual channel configurations and sensing modalities, we have been able to quantitatively determine individual analyte concentration in a VOC mixture. An algorithm for complete mixture analysis, with unique identification of components and accurate determination of their concentration, has been presented based on simultaneous operation of an array of these microcantilever heaters in multiple sensing modalities.

Piezotransistive transduction of femtoscale displacement for photoacoustic spectroscopy.

Measurement of femtoscale displacements in the ultrasonic frequency range is attractive for advanced material characterization and sensing, yet major challenges remain in their reliable transduction using non-optical modalities, which can dramatically reduce the size and complexity of the transducer assembly. Here we demonstrate femtoscale displacement transduction using an AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field effect transistor-integrated GaN microcantilever that utilizes piezoelectric polarization-induced changes in two-dimensional electron gas to transduce displacement with very high sensitivity. The piezotransistor demonstrated an ultra-high gauge factor of 8,700 while consuming an extremely low power of 1.36 nW, and transduced external excitation with a superior noise-limited resolution of 12.43 fm Hz(-1/2) and an outstanding responsivity of 170 nV fm(-1), which is comparable to the optical transduction limits. These extraordinary characteristics, which enabled unique detection of nanogram quantity of analytes using photoacoustic spectroscopy, can be readily exploited in realizing a multitude of novel sensing paradigms.

Functionalized graphene/silicon chemi-diode H2 sensor with tunable sensitivity.

A reverse bias tunable Pd- and Pt-functionalized graphene/Si heterostructure Schottky diode H2 sensor has been demonstrated. Compared to the graphene chemiresistor sensor, the chemi-diode sensor offers more than one order of magnitude higher sensitivity as the molecular adsorption induced Schottky barrier height change causes the heterojunction current to vary exponentially in reverse bias. The reverse bias operation also enables low power consumption, as well as modulation of the atomically thin graphene's Fermi level, leading to tunable sensitivity and detection of H2 down to the sub-ppm range.

Application of ion-sensitive field effect transistors for ion channel screening.

Cell-based screening assays are now widely used for identifying compounds that serve as ion channel modulators. However, instrumentation for the automated, real-time analysis of ion flux from clonal and primary cells is lacking. This study describes the initial development of an ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET)-based screening assay for the acquisition of K(+) efflux data from cells cultured in multi-well plates. Silicon-based K(+)-sensitive ISFETs were tested for their electrical response to varying concentrations of KCl and were found to display a linear response relationship to KCl in the range of 10 µM-1 mM. The ISFETs, along with reference electrodes, were inserted into fast-flow chambers containing either human colonic T84 epithelial cells or U251-MG glioma cells. Application of the Ca(2+) ionophore A23187 (1 µM), to activate Ca(2+)-activated non-selective cation (NSC) channels (T84 cells) and large conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK) channels (U251 cells), resulted in time-dependent increases in the extracellular K(+) concentration ([K(+)]o) as measured with the ISFETs. Treatment of the cells with blockers of either the NSC or BK channels, caused a strong inhibition of the A23187-induced increase in [K(+)]o. These results were consistent with ion current measurements obtained using the whole-cell arrangement of the patch clamp procedure. In addition, K(+) efflux data could be acquired in parallel from multiple cell chambers using the ISFET sensors. Given the non-invasive properties of the probes, the ISFET-based assay should be adaptable for screening ion channels in various cell types.

Tunable reverse-biased graphene/silicon heterojunction Schottky diode sensor.

A new chemical sensor based on reverse-biased graphene/Si heterojunction diode has been developed that exhibits extremely high bias-dependent molecular detection sensitivity and low operating power. The device takes advantage of graphene's atomically thin nature, which enables molecular adsorption on its surface to directly alter graphene/Si interface barrier height, thus affecting the junction current exponentially when operated in reverse bias and resulting in ultrahigh sensitivity. By operating the device in reverse bias, the work function of graphene, and hence the barrier height at the graphene/Si heterointerface, can be controlled by the bias magnitude, leading to a wide tunability of the molecular detection sensitivity. Such sensitivity control is also possible by carefully selecting the graphene/Si heterojunction Schottky barrier height. Compared to a conventional graphene amperometric sensor fabricated on the same chip, the proposed sensor demonstrated 13 times higher sensitivity for NO2 and 3 times higher for NH3 in ambient conditions, while consuming ∼500 times less power for same magnitude of applied voltage bias. The sensing mechanism based on heterojunction Schottky barrier height change has been confirmed using capacitance-voltage measurements.