Fully Transparent and Sensitivity-Programmable Amorphous Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide Thin-Film Transistor-Based Biosensor Platforms with Resistive Switching Memories

This paper presents a fully transparent and sensitivity-programmable biosensor based on an amorphous-indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistor (TFT) with embedded resistive switching memories (ReRAMs). The sensor comprises a control gate (CG) and a sensing gate (SG), each with a resistive switching (RS) memory connected, and a floating gate (FG) that modulates the channel conductance of the a-IGZO TFT. The resistive coupling between the RS memories connected to the CG and SG produces sensitivity properties that considerably exceed the limit of conventional ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET)-based sensors. The resistances of the embedded RS memories were determined by applying a voltage to the CG–FG and SG–FG structures independently and adjusting the compliance current. Sensors constructed using RS memories with different resistance ratios yielded a pH sensitivity of 50.5 mV/pH (RCG:RSG = 1:1), 105.2 mV/pH (RCG:RSG = 2:1), and 161.9 mV/pH (RCG:RSG = 3:1). Moreover, when the RCG:RSG = 3:1, the hysteresis voltage width (VH) and drift rate were 54.4 mV and 32.9 mV/h, respectively. As the increases in VH and drift rate are lower than the amplified sensitivity, the sensor performs capably. The proposed device is viable as a versatile sensing device capable of detecting various substances, such as cells, antigens, DNA, and gases.