Capacitance Sensor Array for Lab-on-CMOS Applications using a Passive RFID Interface

We report a 0.18 {micro}m CMOS lab-on-a-chip system that monolithically integrates a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) interface and an 8 x 8 array of capacitance sensors configured for measuring the capacitance change resulting from an overlying biological specimen. This lab-on-CMOS platform is designed to operate wirelessly, first in a harvesting mode in which on-chip power is generated via the inductive coupling of an on-chip antenna to an external antenna, and second, in a sense-and-transmit mode where the capacitance sensor array is scanned and the measured data are transmitted to the external antenna using the same on-chip antenna. This paper presents characterization results of the passive RFID interface and of the sensor core, the latter utilizing several test analytes. The proposed system will facilitate the integration and packaging of a large number of chips in wet environments, paving the way for the inclusion of lab-on-CMOS technology in standard bio-analytical lab practice.