Semiconductor innovator Archer Materials has completed a proof-of-concept biosensing graphene transistor that will be used in its biochip and submitted the technology design to a commercial foundry to verify scalability.
The ASX-listed company said it is transferring its first-generation graphene field effect transistor (gFET) design to a foundry partner, following the completion of its optical lithography-compatible chip layout for its gFET device.
The company’s optical lithography has electrodes, bond pads, and other graphene componentry that allow the biochip’s sensor device design to scale more easily to produce complete wafers in collaboration with commercial foundries.
The Archer-designed gFET sensing chips will be produced by a commercial foundry and Archer will validate its design to ensure appropriate scalability for the manufacturing process.
Archer said completed runs are expected to arrive at the end of 2023.
The runs will undergo tests to identify which foundry and process are best suited to Archer’s technology. Archer’s design and process can then be scaled to manufacture complete wafers containing graphene-based sensors for biochip integration in collaboration with a range of different commercial foundries.
“Archer has made some impressive progress of its biochip by essentially transferring the core sensing technology from concept to design. We have done this in-house and now look to have it externally fabricated, so it can be foundry compatible and scaled to manufacture. The team is also currently improving its functionality to better detect diseases,” said Mohammad Choucair, chief executive officer of Archer Materials.
“Developing the biochip is an important project for not only Archer, but for the broader world we live in. There is a heightened focus around the globe to detect and prevent disease. Archer’s biochip aims to do both through a highly sensitive graphene material and powerful data analytics that seeks to improve on-chip disease diagnosis and health outcomes. This will truly make it a ‘Lab-on-a-Chip’.”
The ASX company has also begun discussions with potential global foundry partners for initial small production runs of its graphene chip designs to look into the product’s reliability.
This comes after the announcement the company made in March detailing that it gained electronic control of the sensitivity of its incorporated gFET devices, allowing for enhanced targeting of biomolecules.
