Taste sensor based on the floating gate structure of a lateral double-diffused metal-oxide semiconductor

Abstract

This study reports the evaluation of taste sensor applications using a lateral double-diffused metal-oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) with floating gate structures. This is the first study to use a LDMOS device, coated with a lipid membrane, to detect multiple tastes. The proposed device is manufactured based on a standard complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) logic process and has a floating-gate structure for targeting sensor applications. Lipid membranes of Methyltrioctylammonium chloride (TOMA), Oleylamine (OAm), Decyl alcohol (DA), Oleic acid (OA), and Dioctyl phosphate (DOP), with different reactivities, were used to observe the drain current changes at various concentrations (1 fM–1 mM) of the five taste substances: sourness, bitterness, sweetness, saltiness, and umami. The experimental results show that the sensor can operate over a wide and dynamic range (1 fM–1 mM), exhibits a very low-detection limit of 1 fM, and can classify five substances with different tastes. Thus, this study demonstrates that the proposed device is suitable for application as a taste sensor.