A 3-electrode electrochemical cell on CMOS and application for amperometric measurement of dopamine
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Li, Minghao
Naeem, A Nisha
Ghoreishizadeh, Sara
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
An overview of CMOS-integrated dopamine sensors - in which the working electrode(s) are monolithically integrated on the CMOS chip - is presented with a focus on key advantages of such monolithic integration, namely the scalability and high spatial and temporal resolutions. We highlight that a key current limitation of such integrated microsystems is their lack of autonomy: (i) external off-chip reference and counter electrodes are still needed to carry out a measurement; and (ii) post-CMOS processing for electrode development requires clean-room-based techniques (e.g., lithography) or benchtop electrochemical workstations. This work addresses both limitations by fully integrating all three electrodes on a CMOS chip. We also demonstrate how simple on-chip circuits can be used for electrode development. An array of gold and silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) microelectrodes was developed using a simple, scalable, and low-cost electroless and electroplating process. An on-chip current generator circuit is used for in situ control of the electrodeposition and an amperometric readout circuit is designed to read the sensor current. The circuits are designed and fabricated in a standard 180-nm CMOS process. The on-chip 3-electrode sensor has been successfully used for amperometric dopamine measurement.
Date Issued
2026-08-21
Date Acceptance
2026-07-27
Citation
Frontiers in Nanotechnology, 2026, 8
ISSN
2673-3013
Publisher
Frontiers Media S.A.
Journal / Book Title
Frontiers in Nanotechnology
Volume
8
Copyright Statement
© 2026 Li, Naeem and Ghoreishizadeh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
License URL
Identifier
10.3389/fnano.2026.1888883
Subjects
amperometric readout
CMOS sensor fabrication
dopamine
gold microelectrode
potentiostat
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
1888883