CMOS-compatible nanowire sensor arrays for detection of cellular bioelectricity

A study was conducted to demonstrate the fabrication of significantly aligned arrays of silicon nanowires (SiNW), using top-down complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible technology. The study focused on demonstrating the ability of these arrays for real-time extracellular recording of cellular bioelectricity. It was demonstrated that the CMOS-compatible technology enables noninvasive, highly sensitive, and long-term electrophysiological measurements at the single-cell level, or from tissues. The study employed a reproducible, scalable, and CMOS-compatible top-down method, to produce uniform and aligned long SiNWs, involving deep ultraviolet (UV) lithography and self-limiting oxidation. The reproducible, scalable, and CMOS-compatible top-down method was employed in the investigations, to avoid the limitations of bottom-up processes that are restricted to research laboratories.