CMOS instrumentation for on-chip biofluorescence and bioelectrochemical assays

Membrane proteins embedded in bilayer lipid membranes (BLM) play a vital role in biological functions. The molecular mechanisms by which these nanostructured bio-interfaces efficiently perform many critical tasks are poorly understood. Thus, there is a pressing need for advanced tools to measure structural and functional properties of bio-interfaces for applications including proteomics, drug screening and nanosafety. Transduction techniques including electrochemical, optical and thermal methods are widely used for bio-interface characterization. However, biological understanding could be greatly improved by a versatile instrumentation system capable of performing multiple characterization methods simultaneously. This dissertation addresses challenges to combining optical and electrochemical detection schemes on a monolithic chip in order to simultaneously monitor both structural characteristics and functional activities. Several possible architectures for electrochemical amperometry and optical measurement were analyzed, and key challenges in integrating these methods were identified. A multi-mode voltammetry CMOS instrumentation chip tailored to BLM interfaces was developed. For optical detection, a CMOS imager array suitable for a combined opto-electrochemical system was developed with a novel on-chip optical filter utilizing CMOS metal layers. The results of this research lay a solid foundation for the future implementation of a fully integrated opto-electrochemical detection system.