Sensor cell
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsPiero Migliorato, Nathan Bavidge, Christopher Lowe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sensor cell comprises receiving means, which may be in the form of an electrode 10 coupled to the gate electrode of a thin film transistor T1. In one form of the invention a voltage supplied to the gate electrode of the transistor T1 via a switching transistor T7 is controlled in dependence upon the value of capacitance CA arising at the electrode from receipt of a sample for identification. Thus, the operation of transistor T1 can be used to identify the sample received by the electrode 10.
Claims47
A sensor cell comprising a thin film transistor and receiving means coupled to a gate electrode of the thin film transistor for receiving a sample for identification.
A sensor cell as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving means comprises gold, silver or platinum.
A sensor cell as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving means is arranged in a position offset from the thin film transistor, the arrangement being such that the sample is received by the receiving means in a position which does not overlie a gate region of the thin film transistor.
A sensor cell as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor cell comprises a plastics or glass substrate.
A sensor comprising an array of rows and columns of sensor cells as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.
A method for identifying a sample comprising providing a sensor cell including a thin film transistor and receiving means coupled to a gate electrode of the thin film transistor for receiving the sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.