Fraunhofer IPMS Launches New Chip with Parallel Measurements

A groundbreaking integration technology for the simultaneous measurement of various water parameters using ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs) is presented by the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS.

The newly developed n-well integration technology makes it possible to measure pH values, nitrate, phosphate and potassium concentrations in parallel and continuously with only one sensor chip. This innovation opens new horizons for environmental and bioanalytics.

ISFETs are compact, durable and easy to integrate. This makes them ideal for precise pH measurement and the accurate determination of the concentration of many ions in water, thus making them powerful tools in environmental and bioanalytics.

Due to their resistance to breakage, they are already widely used in pH measurement technology, especially in food production. Fraunhofer IPMS has now developed an n well technology that allows for the integration of several ISFETs on a single chip in such a way that they can be specifically functionalized with ion-selective layers.

This integration technology opens up the possibility of multifunctional ISFET arrays. In cooperation with research partners, further application-specific ion-selective coatings can be developed and integrated in the future. This enables the simultaneous and continuous measurement of different parameters such as pH, nitrate, phosphate and potassium concentration with only one sensor chip. Other parameters can be integrated into the system as needed.

“Such a measuring system, which can continuously record essential water parameters in real time, has a huge market potential,” said Dr. Olaf R. Hild, head of the business unit Chemical Sensor Technology at Fraunhofer IPMS. “This opens up new possibilities for applications in environmental analysis, agriculture and water management, as well as in the rapidly growing market for indoor farming applications.”