Capacitive sensor and method of use
AssigneeAltratech Limited
InventorsTimothy Cummins, Brian O'Farrell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An analyte in a liquid sample is detected using a capacitive sensor having electrodes and a sensor surface, and a signal processor. The sample is dried to reduce its liquid content, and capacitive measurements are made after the drying and preferably also before the drying. The sample may include particles, and the analyte is part of or attached to the particles, and the particles provide a major part of the capacitance change compared to absence of particles. In another example the particles are degenerative and form an integral mass upon application of heat, enhancing the extent of capacitance change.
Claims19
An analyte sensor comprising:
- a catheter suitable for insertion in a blood vessel or interstitial fluid;
- and
- a sensor mounted in said catheter, the sensor comprising:
- a sensing region and a plurality of probes attached to the sensing region;
- and
- an integrated circuit comprising a plurality of electrodes disposed below a surface of a sensing region,
- wherein the plurality of probes specifically capture circulating micro-RNAs circulating the blood vessel or interstitial fluid, and
- the electrodes measure a change in capacitance of the sensing region using fringe-field sensing upon capturing the circulating micro-RNAs, wherein the electrodes measure the change in capacitance using at varied frequencies to produce a spectral analysis.
An analyte sensor comprising:
- a sensor comprising:
- a sensing region comprising a surface functionalized with an adsorbed binding layer that specifically binds to an analyte of interest;
- and
- an integrated circuit comprising a plurality of electrodes disposed below the surface of the sensing region and isolated from the sensing region by a protective nitride layer,
- wherein the electrodes are operable to measure a change in capacitance of the sensing region using fringe-field sensing due to binding of an analyte the surface of the sensing region, wherein the plurality of electrodes provide a fringe-field, and the electrodes measure the change in capacitance using at varied frequencies to produce a spectral analysis.
An analyte sensor comprising:
- a plurality of sensors, each sensor of the plurality comprising:
- a sensing region comprising a surface functionalized with an adsorbed binding layer that specifically binds to an analyte of interest;
- and
- an integrated circuit comprising a plurality of electrodes disposed below the surface of the sensing region and isolated from the sensing region by a protective nitride layer,
- wherein the electrodes are operable to measure a change in capacitance of the sensing region using fringe-field sensing due to binding of an analyte the surface of the sensing region, wherein the electrodes measure the change in capacitance using at varied frequencies to produce a spectral analysis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.