GBM8320 – Smart biomedical devices
Laboratory # 1
Fall 2018
High-sensitivity capacitive sensor
A. Hammoud, A. Hassan and M. Sawan
All answers must be justified
A penalty of 10% per day will apply for past deadline submissions.
CMOS capacitive sensors have recently received significant interest for a range of
biochemical testing Lab-on-Chips (LoC) such as antibody–antigen recognition, DNA
detection, and cell monitoring. Capacitive sensors can now be easily integrated into
lab-on-chips requiring minimal area and power. Moreover, it is now feasible to
implement average-based techniques such as charge-based capacitance measurement
(CBCM) on a single chip alongside multiple analog and digital components.
In this lab, a core-CBCM sensor will be designed and verified in 0.45-micron CMOS
process. Students will be asked to explore the different types of capacitive sensors,
analyze CBCM and propose an enhancement to the given architecture.
Introduction (4 pts)
1) In the medical field, capacitive sensors have several applications two of which are
as a pressure measurement tool and a conductivity meter. Explain how capacitive
sensors can be used for such applications. Justify your answer with equations showing
the relationship between capacitance and other parameters. (1 pt)
2) Name another sensing technique used as an alternative to capacitive sensing.
Explain its operation. Which of the two sensors would you recommend and why?
(1 pt)
(a) (b)
Fig. 1. (a) A CBCM simple cell and (b) A Differential CBCM cell
3) Briefly describe the operation of a capacitive sensor based on a simple CBCM cell
(Fig. 1a) and justify why differential measurement (Fig. 1b) is more suitable? (2 pts)
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GBM8320- Smart biomedical devices Fall 2018
Capacitive sensor design (16 pts)
Part 1: Complete Capacitive sensor circuit (14 pts)
1) Prior to design, an analytical study of the capacitive sensor must be conducted. A
parasitic capacitance is an important factor which affects the sensor’s performance.
Briefly explain the definition of a parasitic capacitance? Based on the circuit shown in
Fig. 1b, determine the parasitic capacitance associated with the measured capacitance
Csen. (1 pt)
2) Qualitatively describe the operation of the circuit in Fig. 1b (DO NOT use
equations) (1.5 pt).
3) Show how the output current is a function of the current measured at each branch.
(1.5 pt).
Tint
Fig. 2. Current/Voltage conversion stage
4) The output of Fig. 1.b is connected to the circuit of Fig. 2. What is the main
function of the circuit in Fig. 2? (Justify your answer qualitatively) (1 pt)
i) Find the equation linking Cint to Csen and Cref. (1 pt)
ii) What is the role of the transistor Tint. (1 pt)
5) What is the shape of the clock signal, Clk1, Clk2 and Clk3, to be applied? (2 pts)
6) Find the dimensions of all transistors by connecting the circuits of Fig. 1b and Fig.
2 together taking into consideration the following parameters: (2 pts)
a) Clock frequency: 0-15MHz (1.5 pts)
b) Sensitivity > 15 mV/fF (1.5 pts)
Part 2: Optimization (2 pts)
1) Propose a circuit other than that of Fig. 2 to improve the sensor’s
performance. Justify your answer by presenting simulation results and
comparing them with previous results.
Reference: Ghafar-Zadeh, E., Sawan, M., & Therriault, D. (2008). A 0.18-μm CMOS
capacitive sensor Lab-on-Chip. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 141(2), 454-462.
