Selective-Assembling Hybrid Porphyrin-Silicon Nanowire Field-Effect Transistor (PSNFET) for Photonic Sensor

In this letter, a novel photonic sensor composed of a selective-assembling porphyrin-silicon nanowire field-effect transistor (PSNFET) was proposed and fabricated by the complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible technique. By intensively designing the hydrophobic isolation structure in the novel device, selective assembling of a wealth of porphyrin molecules to the surface of the poly-Si nanowire can be achieved, which was verified by the laser confocal fluorescence microscopy, SEM, and AFM. Meanwhile, compared to the control group, the selective-assembling PSNFET shows improved sensitivity to porphyrin assembly itself as well as the photo-electronic detection. Such a device structure provides an innovative scheme for photonic sensitivity enhancement and the possibility for the hybrid sensor integration on silicon.