Zero Power Chemical Sensors

We present batch-fabricated, low-power and highly sensitive sensors. We present the design, fabrication, and characterization of batch-fabricated sidewall etched vertical nanogap tunneling-junctions for bio-sensing. The device consists of two vertically stacked gold electrodes separated by a partially etched sacrificial spacer-layer of a-Si and SiO2. Using these devices, we demonstrate the electrical detection of certain organic molecules from measurements of tunneling characteristics of target-mediated molecular junctions formed across nanogaps.