IMS CHIPS develops novel approaches for biomedical technology

The SpektroChip project
Today, many analytical procedures in biomedicine and medical technology rely on highly expensive and inflexible spectroscopy solutions. The miniaturization of such systems (lab-on-a-chip) would enable cost-effective real-time on-site sensing in biomedical research and medical technology. This motivates the development and demonstration of a new type of micro-spectrometer system for the near-infrared (NIR) range aimed at in SpektroChip. The origin of the idea behind the project was a collaboration with the Institute of Semiconductor Technology (IHT) at the University of Stuttgart. There, a sensor chip with a germanium-on-silicon (Ge-on-Si) sensor line and a diffraction grating was developed (see figure above). In the project, the chip, which is sensitive in the NIR range, will now be integrated into a highly miniaturized spectrometer system setup for the quantitative analysis of a biomedical sample as indicated in figure 1. The technology of NIR spectroscopy is to be used as an analytical tool. The project particularly focuses on the realization of a simple, low-cost system that stands out from the high-priced, inflexible solutions currently available on the market and allows for direct automated analysis of a sample. In particular, current sensor applications, such as „on-site“ detection, lab-on-a-chip systems and in-line process monitoring are to be addressed. The optical sensor chip is based on Ge-on- Si photodiodes, which are much more cost-effective than the compound semiconductor detectors (e. g., made of indium gallium arsenide) that dominate the market in the NIR range, since they are compatible with CMOS technology and thus bring much greater miniaturization and scaling potential.