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US 2019/0162695 A1Published application
Nano dipole sensors
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsMinhua Lu, Sufi Zafar
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Abstract
A bipolar junction transistor is provided; the transistor has an emitter, a base, and a collector. Said base is coupled to a sensing electrode. Said sensing electrode is immersed in a fluid to be analyzed. Said bipolar junction transistor is biased into the active region. An AC excitation of one of said emitter and said base is caused. A measurement is carried out on a collector current resulting from said AC excitation, to analyze said fluid.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- providing a bipolar junction transistor having an emitter, a base, and a collector, said base being coupled to a sensing electrode;
- immersing said sensing electrode in a fluid to be analyzed;
- biasing said bipolar junction transistor into the active region;
- causing an AC excitation of one of said emitter and said base;
- and
- carrying out a measurement on a collector current resulting from said AC excitation, to analyze said fluid.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing a transistor having at least three terminals, at least one of said three terminals being coupled to a sensing electrode;
- immersing said sensing electrode in a fluid to be analyzed;
- biasing said transistor into an operating region suitable for sensing;
- causing an AC excitation on at least one of said three terminals;
- and
- carrying out a measurement on a current resulting from said AC excitation, to analyze said fluid;
- wherein said step of causing said AC excitation to said at least one of said three terminals comprises at least one of:
- surface plasmon coupling electromagnetic waves to said at least one of said three terminals via at least one of a prism, a waveguide, and a grating;
- and
- impinging acoustic waves on a piezoelectric material coupled to said at least one of said three terminals.
7 more elements
An apparatus for analyzing a fluid, said apparatus comprising:
- a sensing electrode;
- a bipolar junction transistor having an emitter, a base, and a collector, said base being coupled to said sensing electrode;
- a vessel configured to contain said sensing electrode and the fluid to be analyzed;
- a biasing circuit configured to bias said bipolar junction transistor into the active region;
- an AC source configured to cause AC excitation of one of said emitter and said base;
- and
- a measurement circuit having:
- a first input coupled to said collector such that a collector current resulting from said AC excitation comprises a first input to said measurement circuit;
- and
- an output from which at least one frequency component can be extracted.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.