Implantable pH Sensing System Using Vertically Stacked Silicon Nanowire Arrays and Body Channel Communication for Gastroesophageal Reflux Monitoring

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 24; no. 3; p. 861
• Main Authors: Kim, Changhee, Han, Seungju, Kim, Taehwan, Lee, Sangmin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.01.2024
• Subjects: Arrays; body channel communication; Etching; Gastroesophageal reflux; Hydrogen-ion concentration; Implants, Artificial; Integrated circuit fabrication; Mechanical properties; Medical equipment; MEMS; Methods; Nanowires; Oxidation; pH sensor; Prosthesis; Semiconductor industry; Sensors; Silicon; silicon nanowire; United States; South Korea; body channel communication; silicon nanowire; MEMS; pH sensor
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s24030861

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are emerging as versatile components in the fabrication of sensors for implantable medical devices because of their exceptional electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. This paper presents a novel top-down fabrication method for vertically stacked SiNWs, eliminating the need for wet oxidation, wet etching, and nanolithography. The integration of these SiNWs into body channel communication (BCC) circuits was also explored. The fabricated SiNWs were confirmed to be capable of forming arrays with multiple layers and rows. The SiNW-based pH sensors demonstrated a robust response to pH changes, and when tested with BCC circuits, they showed that it was possible to quantize based on pH when transmitting data through the human body. This study successfully developed a novel method for SiNW fabrication and integration into BCC circuits, which could lead to improvements in the reliability and efficiency of implantable medical sensors. The findings demonstrate significant potential for bioelectronic applications and real-time biochemical monitoring.