Surface photovoltage in silicon: novel applications for chemical and biological sensing

The Surface Photovoltage technique has been recently employed for chemical and biological sensing. Selected chemical and biological species deposited on the crystalline silicon surface introduced surface barrier changes that were detected using the non-contact Surface Photovoltage mode. The magnitude of the surface barrier modifications provided a unique signature of the sensed species. The simplicity and sensitivity of this technique offer an exciting opportunity for a new type of low cost sensing devices.