High-Selectivity-Based Novel Split-Gate VTFET Biosensor for Identification of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the international outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), often known as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a global pandemic based on the significant and sudden increase in human infections worldwide. With suitable treatment and early diagnosis, this outbreak can be controlled to a certain extent. In the present research, the performance of a novel dielectrically modulated heterojunction-based splitgate double cavity vertical TFET biosensor for detecting SARS-CoV-2 with reference to the virus spike, DNA and envelope proteins has been thoroughly investigated. The suggested sensor’s sensitivity has been evaluated through the computation of the deviation in drain current. We model the hybridized biomolecules in the nanogaps as the dielectric constant equivalent of the viral proteins. Additionally, sensing speed and selectivity analysis pertaining to the various biomolecules are also investigated. The proposed sensor exhibits a notably high sensitivity (on the order of 108), high sensing speed, and high selectivity (on the order of 106), indicating its potential as a superior sensor. This study also examines the influence of variations in DNA charge density on the performance of the device. Ultimately, the proposed sensor is evaluated in comparison to its sensitivity and selectivity of a variety of FET-based biosensors previously documented in the literature.