A handheld high-sensitivity micro-NMR CMOS platform with B-field stabilization for multi-type biological/chemical assays

Lei, K.-M., Heidari, H. , Mak, P.-I., Law, M.-K., Maloberti, F. and Martins, R. P. (2017) A handheld high-sensitivity micro-NMR CMOS platform with B-field stabilization for multi-type biological/chemical assays. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 52(1), pp. 284-297. (doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2016.2591551)

Abstract

We report a micro-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system compatible with multi-type biological/chemical lab-on-a-chip assays. Unified in a handheld scale (dimension: 14 x 6 x 11 cm³, weight: 1.4 kg), the system is capable to detect<100 pM of Enterococcus faecalis derived DNA from a 2.5 μL sample. The key components are a portable magnet (0.46 T, 1.25 kg) for nucleus magnetization, a system PCB for I/O interface, an FPGA for system control, a current driver for trimming the magnetic (B) field, and a silicon chip fabricated in 0.18 μm CMOS. The latter, integrated with a current-mode vertical Hall sensor and a low-noise readout circuit, facilitates closed-loop B-field stabilization (2 mT → 0.15 mT), which otherwise fluctuates with temperature or sample displacement. Together with a dynamic-B-field transceiver with a planar coil for micro-NMR assay and thermal control, the system demonstrates: 1) selective biological target pinpointing; 2) protein state analysis; and 3) solvent-polymer dynamics, suitable for healthcare, food and colloidal applications, respectively. Compared to a commercial NMR-assay product (Bruker mq-20), this platform greatly reduces the sample consumption (120x), hardware volume (175x), and weight (96x).

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Heidari, Professor Hadi
• Authors: Lei, K.-M., Heidari, H., Mak, P.-I., Law, M.-K., Maloberti, F., and Martins, R. P.
• Subjects: T Technology > T Technology (General)
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• Journal Name: IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits
• Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• ISSN: 0018-9200
• ISSN (Online): 1558-173X
• Published Online: 12 August 2016
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 IEEE
• First Published: First published in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits 52(1):284-297
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher