Open-Gated pH Sensor Fabricated on an Undoped-AlGaNGaN HEMT Structure 英文参考文献.docVIP

Sensors 2011, 11, 3067-3077; doi:10.3390/s110303067 OPEN ACCESS sensors ISSN 1424-8220 /journal/sensors Article Open-Gated pH Sensor Fabricated on an Undoped-AlGaN/GaN HEMT Structure Mastura Shafinaz Zainal Abidin 1, Abdul Manaf Hashim 1,2,*, Maneea Eizadi Sharifabad 1, Shaharin Fadzli Abd Rahman 1 and Taizoh Sadoh 2 1 Material Innovations and Nanoelectronics Research Group, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia; E-Mails: mastura@fke.utm.my (M.S.Z.A.); maneea.eizadi@ (M.E.S.); shaharinfadzli@fke.utm.my (S.F.A.R.) 2 Department of Electronics, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan; E-Mail: sadoh@ed.kyushu-u.ac.jp (T.S.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: manaf@fke.utm.my or manaf@nano.ed.kyushu-u.ac.jp; Tel.: +607-553-6230; Fax: +607-556-6272. Received: 10 January 2011; in revised form: 28 February 2011 / Accepted: 7 March 2011 / Published: 9 March 2011 Abstract: The sensing responses in aqueous solution of an open-gated pH sensor fabricated on an AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility-transistor (HEMT) structure are investigated. Under air-exposed ambient conditions, the open-gated undoped AlGaN/GaN HEMT only shows the presence of a linear current region. This seems to show that very low Fermi level pinning by surface states exists in the undoped AlGaN/GaN sample. In aqueous solution, typical current-voltage (I-V) characteristics with reasonably good gate controllability are observed, showing that the potential of the AlGaN surface at the open-gated area is effectively controlled via aqueous solution by the Ag/AgCl gate electrode. The open-gated undoped AlGaN/GaN HEMT structure is capable of distinguishing pH level in aqueous electrolytes and exhibits linear sensitivity, where high sensitivity of 1.9 mA/pH or 3.88 mA/mm/pH at drain-source voltage, VDS =