Integration of micro-PCR with CMOS EC detection: Opportunity and challenges

Integration of Micro PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) with CMOS(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). EC (Electrochemical) detection are investigated. A stationary μ PCR chip with micro EC electrodes inside the reaction chamber is realized in a common microsystem technology platform. A special EC process was used to investigate the direct detection of DNA solution concentration without any labeling. Trial result reveals that the redox peaks current difference between DsRed DNA solution after 4 cycles and 20 cycles amplifications is in the order of hundreds nano-Amperes. A CMOS current amplifier is designed as the front end of the EC signal read-out. The simulation result shows the minimum current resolution is 1 nA. The investigations indicate a great possibility of realization of a portable point-of-care PCR with highly integrated electrical signal processing system.