ULTRA-FAST NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCING DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR MAKING AND USING THE SAME

摘要

A system and method employing at least one semiconductor device, or an arrangement of insulating and metal layers, having at least one detecting region which can include, for example, a recess or opening therein, for detecting a charge representative of a component of a polymer, such as a nucleic acid strand proximate to the detecting region, and a method for manufacturing such a semiconductor device. The system and method can thus be used for sequencing individual nucleotides or bases of ribonucleic acid (RNA) or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The semiconductor device includes at least two doped regions, such as two n-typed regions implanted in a p-typed semiconductor layer or two p-typed regions implanted in an n-typed semiconductor layer. The detecting region permits a current to pass between the two doped regions in response to the presence of the component of the polymer, such as a base of a DNA or RNA strand. The current has characteristics representative of the component of the polymer, such as characteristics representative of the detected base of the DNA or RNA strand.

主权项

1. A detector comprising:
a source region; a drain region; a detection region disposed between the source region and the drain region, the detection region defining a distance between the source region and the drain region on the order of the size of a single nucleotide base; and a channel formed over the source region, the drain region, and the detection region; wherein a charge on a component of a polymer passing through the channel induces an image charge sufficient to change the conductivity of the detection region by an amount related to the charge of the component of the polymer, the device to detect the component of the polymer based on the conductivity of the detection region.