A microfabricated electronic microplate platform for low-cost repeatable biosensing applications

This work presents a disposable `electronic microplate´ (e-microplate) platform that enables the reusability of the corresponding CMOS biosensor thereby reducing cost and increasing throughput relative to non-disposable systems. The e-microplate utilizes mechanically-flexible interconnects (MFIs) and through-silicon-vias (TSVs) to electrically interconnect the electrodes on the CMOS biosensor to the electrodes on the e-microplate while maintaining a physical separation between the aforementioned substrate tiers. Measurements performed show that the incorporation of the e-microplate does not degrade the sensing amplifier´s gain, 3dB bandwidth, or the input referred noise, and thus ensures the accurate sensing of weak signals from living cells under test. Impedance mapping for saline and Dulbecco´s Phosphate Buffered Saline (DPBS) solutions performed through the e-microplate confirm functional accuracy of the assembled system.