# US 11,906,459 B2 · Sensor platform

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- Number: US 11,906,459 B2
- Document ID: US11906459B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/292,844
- Filed: 2019-08-16
- Published: 2021-09-23
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2018-11-20
- Applicants: National Research Council of Canada
- Inventors: Jacques Lefebvre; François Lapointe
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906459B2

## CPC

- G01N 27/225: {by using hygroscopic materials}
- G01N 27/27: Association of two or more measuring systems or cells, each measuring a different parameter, where the measurement results may be either used independently, the systems or cells being physically associated, or combined to produce a value for a further parameter
- G01N 27/121: {for determining moisture content, e.g. humidity, of the fluid (moisture content of the tested material G01N27/048)}
- G01N 27/4141: {specially adapted for gases}
- G01N 27/4146: {involving nanosized elements, e.g. nanotubes, nanowires}
- G01N 33/0031: {comprising two or more sensors, e.g. a sensor array}
- G01N 27/126: {comprising organic polymers}
- G01N 27/127: {comprising nanoparticles}
- G01N 27/129: {Diode type sensors, e.g. gas sensitive Schottky diodes (capacitor type sensors G01N27/227; field-effect transistor type sensors G01N27/414)}
- G01N 27/221: {by investigating the dielectric properties (using microwaves G01N22/00; measuring loss factors or dielectric constants per se G01R27/26)}
- G01N 33/0036: {specially adapted to detect a particular component (physical analysis of gaseous biological material G01N33/497)}
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

An electronic device for sensing a target analyte in a gas, liquid or vapor sample, the device has at least two sensing elements, each sensing element having an exposed layer of a transduction material supported on a dielectric substrate. The dielectric substrate of at least one of the sensing elements is made of a different dielectric material than the dielectric substrate of at least one other of the sensing elements. The different dielectric materials providing a different sensing response according to one or more transduction modes. The plurality of sensing elements in the device yield a specific transduction pattern for a specific target analyte in a gas, liquid or vapor sample.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic device for sensing a target analyte in a gas, liquid or vapor sample, the device comprising at least two sensing elements, each sensing element comprising an exposed layer of a transduction material supported on a dielectric substrate, wherein the dielectric substrate of at least one of the sensing elements comprises a different dielectric material than the dielectric substrate of at least one other of the sensing elements, the different dielectric materials providing a different sensing response according to one or more transduction modes.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more transduction modes comprises one or more of: a shift of the Fermi level of the sensing element; a modulation of the Schottky barrier of the sensing element; a change in the dielectric environment around the sensing element; and, a change in the charge carrier diffusivity of the sensing element.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the dielectric materials has an effect on transduction in the sensing element of a nature different than the nature of the effect on transduction in another of the sensing elements comprising another of the dielectric materials.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the different dielectric materials comprises silicon dioxide.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the different dielectric materials comprises an organic polymer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The device of claim 5, wherein the organic polymer comprises a polyamide, a polyvinylphenol, a polysilsesquioxane, a polyacrylate, a polyfluorinated alkane, a polystyrene, a polyvinylpyridine, a cellulose derivative, a poly(p-xylylene), a copolymer thereof or a blend thereof.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the target analyte is humidity and one of the dielectric materials is hydrophilic and another of the dielectric materials is hydrophobic or one of the dielectric materials is hygroscopic and another of the dielectric materials is non-hygroscopic.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the transduction material comprises carbon nanotubes, silicon nanowires, semiconducting polymers or mixtures thereof.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the transduction material comprises single chirality semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the transduction material is implemented as at least a single nanowire, nanorod, nanotube or nanoparticle in each sensing element.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The device of claim 10, wherein:
more than two nanowires, nanorods, nanotubes nanoparticles or combinations thereof are implemented as an interconnected network in each sensing element; or,
the network is random or an aligned array of the nanowires, nanorods, nanotubes nanoparticles or combinations thereof.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the transduction material is permeable to the target analyte.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrates of every one of the sensing elements comprise different dielectric materials.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrates of at least two of the sensing elements comprise the same dielectric material.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the sensing elements comprise a resistor, a capacitor, a diode, a transistor, an electrochemical cell or a combination thereof.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The device of claim 15, wherein the resistor is a chemiresistor.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the target analyte is a volatile organic compound, an amine, a C1-8 alkane, an air pollutant, a pesticide, a chemical warfare agent, a solvent, an industrial hazard, a disease marker, an alcohol, drug or a mixture thereof.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

A process for sensing a target analyte in a gas, liquid or vapor sample, the process comprising:
exposing the device as defined in claim 1 to a gas, liquid or vapor sample containing a target analyte; and,
measuring a different sensing response between the at least two sensing elements according to one or more transduction modes.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The process of claim 18, wherein the sample is a vapor mixture comprising constituents of ambient air or breath, where at least one of the constituents acts as an interference to target analyte detection.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The process of claim 19, wherein the device is operated in transistor mode and one or more of threshold voltage, hysteresis, subthreshold slope or swing, hole and electron mobilities, ON and OFF currents and ON/OFF current ratio are computed and followed as a function of target analyte concentration to provide a measure of different interaction strengths of the device with the target analyte.