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Author

Giovanni Soncini

Bio: Giovanni Soncini is an academic researcher from University of Trento. The author has contributed to research in topics: CMOS & Detector. The author has an hindex of 16, co-authored 66 publications receiving 794 citations.
Topics: CMOS, Detector, ISFET, Pixel, Chip


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a nitrogen dioxide sensor suitable for environmental control, based on the change in conductivity of a single meso-porous silicon (PS) layer with about 80% porosity, is presented.
Abstract: We report a nitrogen dioxide sensor suitable for environmental control, based on the change in conductivity of a single meso-porous silicon (PS) layer with about 80% porosity. We present the characterization of the sensor in the presence of low concentrations of NO 2 in dry air and study the influence of humidity on sensor behaviour. The sensor shows a sensitivity to 12 ppb of NO 2 in dry air and a good response to 50 ppb in humid air.

106 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a symmetric toggle switch (STS) is proposed for 8-14 GHz applications with low actuation voltage and high isolation, for high power and reliability applications in telecommunication.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a new type of rf MEMS switch with low actuation voltage and high isolation, for high rf power and reliability applications in telecommunication. ‘Symmetric toggle switch’ (STS) is based on push–pull mechanism and utilizes torsion springs and levers, placed symmetrically and transverse to CPW line. The switches designed for 8–14 GHz applications have analytically calculated and FEM simulated actuation voltages in the range of 8–10 V. The simulated insertion loss and isolation for the devices are 0.25 and 35 dB, respectively, at 10 GHz. The fabrication process and preliminary experimental results are also presented.

66 citations

Proceedings ArticleDOI
25 Mar 1996
TL;DR: In this article, a dedicated test chip has been designed and fabricated for assessing the compatibility of the ISFET (Ion Sensitive Field Effect Transistors) and CMNOS (Complementary Metal gate Nitride Oxide Semiconductor) technologies.
Abstract: A dedicated test chip has been designed and fabricated for assessing the compatibility of the ISFET (Ion Sensitive Field Effect Transistors) and CMNOS (Complementary Metal gate Nitride Oxide Semiconductor) technologies, in order to develop an ISFET/CMOS fabrication process The test chip contains three sets of test structures dedicated respectively to the evaluation of the sensor performances in terms of electro-chemical characteristics, to the extraction of the CMNOS process/design (eg SPICE) parameters, and to the characterisation of basic analogue integrated circuit blocks for the on chip interface electronics By using this technology single chemical sensors, arrays sensors and multi-sensors with on-chip signal conditioning for environmental and biomedical applications are currently under development in our laboratory

65 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) was used in conjunction with an enzyme specific for this pollutant to sample atmospheric formaldehyde by dissolution in an aqueous solution followed by the monitoring of the aldehyde using an ISFET.
Abstract: This paper reports on a system for sampling atmospheric formaldehyde by dissolution in an aqueous solution followed by the monitoring of the aldehyde using an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) in conjunction with an enzyme specific for this pollutant. Formaldehyde dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas putida was chosen on the basis of its characteristics to be coupled to the ISFET transducer. This enzyme, using oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleoside (NAD) as cofactor, catalyses the oxidation of a molecule of formaldehyde with the parallel production of two protons, which are sensed by the ISFET. The working conditions were chosen to obtain a linear response of the sensor up to 200 μM formaldehyde. On the basis of the enrichment obtained by the sampling system, the detection limit of 10 μM formaldehyde in aqueous solution, achieved by the ISFET biosensor, corresponds to an atmospheric concentration of the formaldehyde in the ppb range.

62 citations

ReportDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the present status of the detector design for SuperB is described and four separate progress reports that, taken collectively, describe progress made on the SuperB Project since the publication of the Superb Conceptual Design Report in 2007 and the Proceedings of SuperB Workshop VI in Valencia in 2008.
Abstract: This report describes the present status of the detector design for SuperB. It is one of four separate progress reports that, taken collectively, describe progress made on the SuperB Project since the publication of the SuperB Conceptual Design Report in 2007 and the Proceedings of SuperB Workshop VI in Valencia in 2008. The other three reports relate to Physics, Accelerator and Computing.

34 citations


Cited by
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Patent
02 Feb 2011
TL;DR: In this article, a flow expansion chamber is configured to allow fluids to flow from the expansion chamber to the outlet portion and to allow the fluids to interact along the way with material in the array of wells.
Abstract: An apparatus may include a semiconductor chip and a fluidics assembly. The semiconductor chip has an array of wells and an array of sensors and each sensor of the array of sensors is in fluid communication with a well of the array of wells. The fluidics assembly is located on top of the semiconductor chip and is configured to deliver fluids to the semiconductor chip. The fluidics assembly includes a flow expansion chamber configured to introduce the fluids, an outlet portion configured to pipe out the fluids, and a flow chamber portion. The flow chamber portion is configured to allow the fluids to flow from the flow expansion chamber to the outlet portion and to allow the fluids to interact along the way with material in the array of wells. The flow expansion chamber has a curved wall at the top or bottom so that the height of the flow expansion chamber at the center is less than at the walls that restrict the fluids to the left and right.

855 citations

Patent
27 May 2010
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present methods and apparatus relating to FET arrays for monitoring chemical and/or biological reactions such as nucleic acid sequencing-by-synthesis reactions.
Abstract: Methods and apparatus relating to FET arrays including large FET arrays for monitoring chemical and/or biological reactions such as nucleic acid sequencing-by-synthesis reactions. Some methods provided herein relate to improving signal (and also signal to noise ratio) from released hydrogen ions during nucleic acid sequencing reactions.

649 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This Review briefly describes chemical sensor principles, describing the porphyrin-based devices devoted to the detection of gaseous or liquid samples, according to the corresponding transduction mechanism.
Abstract: Porphyrins and related macrocycles have been intensively exploited as sensing materials in chemical sensors, since in these devices they mimic most of their biological functions, such as reversible binding, catalytic activation, and optical changes. Such a magnificent bouquet of properties allows applying porphyrin derivatives to different transducers, ranging from nanogravimetric to optical devices, also enabling the realization of multifunctional chemical sensors, in which multiple transduction mechanisms are applied to the same sensing layer. Potential applications are further expanded through sensor arrays, where cross-selective sensing layers can be applied for the analysis of complex chemical matrices. The possibility of finely tuning the macrocycle properties by synthetic modification of the different components of the porphyrin ring, such as peripheral substituents, molecular skeleton, coordinated metal, allows creating a vast library of porphyrinoid-based sensing layers. From among these, one can...

514 citations

Patent
09 Sep 2011
TL;DR: In this article, methods and apparatuses relating to large-scale FET arrays for analyte detection and measurement are provided, which can be used to detect a presence and/or concentration changes of various analyte types in a wide variety of chemical and biological processes.
Abstract: Methods and apparatuses relating to large scale FET arrays for analyte detection and measurement are provided. ChemFET (e.g., ISFET) arrays may be fabricated using conventional CMOS processing techniques based on improved FET pixel and array designs that increase measurement sensitivity and accuracy, and at the same time facilitate significantly small pixel sizes and dense arrays. Improved array control techniques provide for rapid data acquisition from large and dense arrays. Such arrays may be employed to detect a presence and/or concentration changes of various analyte types in a wide variety of chemical and/or biological processes.

395 citations

Patent
24 May 2010
TL;DR: In this article, an array of electronic sensors integrated with a microwell array for confining analytes and/or particles for analytical reactions and a method for identifying microwells containing analytes or reaction byproducts is presented.
Abstract: The invention is directed to apparatus and methods for delivering multiple reagents to, and monitoring, a plurality of analytical reactions carried out on a large-scale array of electronic sensors underminimal noise conditions. In one aspect, the invention provides method of improving signal-to-noise ratios of output signals from the electronic sensors sensing analytes or reaction byproducts by subtracting an average of output signals measured from neighboring sensors where analyte or reaction byproducts are absent. In other aspects, the invention provides an array of electronic sensors integrated with a microwell array for confining analytes and/or particles for analytical reactions and a method for identifying microwells containing analytes and/or particles by passing a sensor-active reagent over the array and correlating sensor response times to the presence or absence of analytes or particles. Such detection of analyte- or particle-containing microwells may be used as a step in additional noise reduction methods.

253 citations