Integrated ion sensing apparatus and methods

An apparatus for sensing a concentration of a material, the apparatus comprising:

• a substrate;
• a plurality of electrodes integrated with the substrate and configured to contact a solution and to detect a measurable electrical response when in contact with the solution;
• and
• a cavity configured to expose the solution to the plurality of electrodes, wherein the cavity comprises at least one channel configured to guide the solution to the plurality of electrodes;
• a reference electrode structure integrated with the substrate, the reference electrode structure configured to hold a reference material;
• wherein the apparatus is configured to selectively activate or expose at least one electrode of the plurality of electrodes.

An apparatus for sensing a concentration of a material, the apparatus comprising:

• an integrated semiconductor substrate;
• a plurality of sensing elements in communication with the integrated semiconductor substrate and configured to detect a measurable electrical response when in contact with a solution;
• one or more channels configured to guide the solution to the plurality of sensing elements;
• one or more conditioning elements in communication with the one or more channels and configured to control fluid flow within the one or more channels;
• electronics in communication with the integrated semiconductor substrate and configured to wirelessly communicate the concentration of an ion within the solution as sensed by the plurality of sensing elements;
• and
• processing electronics integrated with the semiconductor substrate and configured to encrypt sensor data from the apparatus.

An apparatus for sensing a concentration or presence of a material, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of sensing elements configured to contact a solution and to detect a measurable electrical response when in contact with the solution;
• one or more channels in fluid communication with the external environment and configured to guide the solution to the plurality of sensing elements;
• one or more conditioning elements in communication with the one or more channels;
• and
• active electronics in communication with the plurality of sensing elements, wherein the active electronics is configured to,
• monitor fouling of the one or more channels;
• control fluid flow within the one or more channels;
• and
• activate the one or more conditioning elements to prevent or eliminate fouling of the one or more channels.

An apparatus for sensing a concentration of a material, the apparatus comprising:

• an integrated semiconductor substrate;
• a plurality of sensing elements in communication with the integrated semiconductor substrate and configured to contact a solution and to detect a measurable electrical response when in contact with the solution;
• and
• decoding circuitry comprising logic configured to,
• generate a signal indicative of a state of the plurality of sensing elements;
• and
• selectively expose at least one sensing element of the plurality of sensing elements based on fouling of at least one sensing element of the plurality of sensing elements.