Thermal control microsystem for protein characterization and sensing

Temperature plays an important role in protein characterization and sensing due to its strong effect on reaction rate. A thermal control microsystem for protein array sensing was developed and tested in a liquid environment. The on-chip microhotplates were implemented in standard CMOS without post-CMOS fabrication for thermal isolation. With only a 5 V supply, up to 45°C can be achieved in liquid, which is well suited for protein-based interfaces. Results show that heating is contained sufficiently within each site to permit setting each array sites to a different temperature. Using feedback control, temperature can be held to within 0.7°C of the set point, enabling precise control of on-chip protein interfaces during characterization or sensing.