Fabrication of High-Performance Ultrathin In2O3 Film Field-Effect Transistors and Biosensors Using Chemical Lift-Off Lithography

Abstract

We demonstrate straightforward fabrication of highly sensitive biosensor arrays based on field-effect transistors, using an efficient high-throughput, large-area patterning process. Chemical lift-off lithography is used to construct field-effect transistor arrays with high spatial precision suitable for the fabrication of both micrometer- and nanometer-scale devices. Sol-gel processing is used to deposit ultrathin (∼4 nm) In2O3 films as semiconducting channel layers. The aqueous sol-gel process produces uniform In2O3 coatings with thicknesses of a few nanometers over large areas through simple spin-coating, and only low-temperature thermal annealing of the coatings is required. The ultrathin In2O3 enables construction of highly sensitive and selective biosensors through immobilization of specific aptamers to the channel surface; the ability to detect subnanomolar concentrations of dopamine is demonstrated.

Keywords: aptamer; biosensor; chemical lift-off lithography; dopamine; field-effect transistor; metal-oxide semiconductor; nanofabrication; nanotechnology; neurotransmitter; sensor; sol−gel chemistry.