Characteristics of Extended-Gate Field-Effect Transistor (EGFET) Based on Porous n-Type (111) Silicon for Use in pH Sensors

Abstract

Following the advances in pH sensors based on porous silicon (p-Si) in the late 20th century, several studies have been carried out to take advantage of the intrinsic properties of p-Si for development of chemical sensors. This study investigates the characteristics and pH sensitivity of an extended-gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) based on n-type p-Si with (111) orientation. Porous silicon was applied directly without coating. The x-ray diffractogram revealed only n-type (111) crystal orientation. p-Si was comparatively analyzed against a silicon wafer (flat and porous surface) in the pH range from 2 to 12. Regarding EGFET operation, p-Si exhibited significantly enhanced pH sensitivity of 56.13 mV/pH and linearity of 0.9857 (at drain–source current I DS of 0.1 mA, temperature of 300 K, and immersion time of 300 s) because of its high surface area, whereas the silicon wafer (flat and porous surface) exhibited comparatively poor sensitivity of 25.41 mV/pH and linearity of 0.99 under similar conditions. In addition, we demonstrate use of current as a second parameter with high linearity for pH sensing. The low hysteresis depth (9 mV) of the EGFET sensor based on p-Si indicates good stability and reversibility.