bio-electronic ics and systems: how is technology change creating new opportunities in them?

A/Prof Jeffrey Funk

Division of Engineering and Technology Management

National University of Singapore

For information on other technologies, see http://www.slideshare.net/Funk98/presentations

Objectives

What are the important dimensions of performance for bio-electronics including bio-electronic ICs?

What are the rates of improvement?

What drives these rapid rates of improvement?

Will these improvements continue?

What kinds of new electronic systems will likely emerge from the improvements in bio-electronics?

What does this tell us about the future?

Session Technology

1 Objectives and overview of course

2 Two types of improvements: 1) Creating materials that

better exploit physical phenomena; 2) Geometrical scaling

4 Semiconductors, ICs, electronic systems

5 MEMS and Bio-electronic ICs

6 Nanotechnology, DNA sequencing

7 Superconductivity and solar cells

8 Lighting, laser diodes, and Displays

9 Human-computer interfaces (also roll-to roll printing)

10 Telecommunications and Internet

11 3D printing and energy storage

This is Fifth Session of MT5009

As Noted in Previous Session, Two main mechanisms for improvements

Creating materials (and their associated processes) that better exploit physical phenomenon

Geometrical scaling

Increases in scale

Reductions in scale

Some technologies directly experience improvements while others indirectly experience them through improvements in “components”

A summary of these ideas can be found in

1) forthcoming paper in California Management Review, What Drives Exponential Improvements?

2) book from Stanford University Press, Technology Change and the Rise of New Industries

Both are Relevant to Bio-Electronics

Creating materials (and their associated processes) that better exploit physical phenomenon Creating appropriate materials for specific application

Geometrical scaling Increases in scale: larger wafers/production equipment

Reductions in scale: small feature sizes for bio-electronic ICs. This is most important driver of improvements for bio-electronic ICs

Some technologies directly experience improvements while others indirectly experience them through improvements in “components” Better bio-electronic ICs lead to better bio-electronic

systems

Outline

What is bio-electronics?

Geometric scaling in bio-electronics

Similarities between ICs and bio-electronics

Applications for bio-electronics

Control of implants, drug delivery

Point-of-care diagnostics, including skin patches

Bionic eyes,

Exoskeleton

Food and other sensors

Challenges for Bio-electronics are similar to those for MEMS

Early Applications: cardiac pacemaker and

cochlear implant

http://www.siliconsemiconductor.net/article/69596-Efficient-mixing-in-milliseconds-with-lab-on-a-Chip.php

Another Type of

Bio-Electronics:

Simple form

of MEMS with

Micro-Fluidic

Channels

Another

view of

a bio-

electronic

IC

Blood Analysis

MEMS compared to a Newer Technology,

Nanopores, which is another form of Bio-Electronics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvDZh8hmR84

DNA Sequencers also involve micro-fluidic channels and are

one type of bio-electronics

But the next session will focus more on the improvements in

DNA sequencers that have occurred over the last 30 years

Outline

What is bio-electronics?

Geometric scaling in bio-electronics

Similarities between ICs and bio-electronics

Applications for bio-electronics

Control of implants, drug delivery

Point-of-care diagnostics, including skin patches

Bionic eyes,

Exoskeleton

Food and other sensors

Challenges for Bio-electronics are similar to those for MEMS

Source: AStar

Another Way to Look at “More Than Moore”

http://www2.imec.be/content/user/File/MtM%20WG%20report.pdf

Figure 2. Declining Feature Size

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Year

Mic

rom

ete

rs (

Mic

rons)

Gate Oxide

Thickness

Junction Depth

Feature length

Source: (O'Neil, 2003)

How might bio-electronic ICs benefit from reductions in scale?

Benefits of Reductions in Feature Sizes

Is larger for Bio-Electronic ICs than for MEMS

Higher Resolution

Higher Resolution: Reductions in Feature Size Enable

Bio-Electronic ICs to Analyze Smaller Biological Materials

Viruses are infectious agents that replicate inside the living cells of organisms

Bacteria are multi-cell micro-organisms

Proteins carry out duties in cell according to DNA

The Goal is to Analyze Even Smaller things

such as Proteins and Molecules

Smaller sizes (mM – milli moles) are needed for smaller

detection limits and to analyze more data intensive applications

(mill

imole

)

http://www2.imec.be/content/

user/File/MtM%20WG%20report.pdf

Smaller Sizes Requires Better Tools

Scanning tunneling

microscope

http://inhabitat.com/silicon-chips-embedded-in-human-cells-could-detect-diseases-earlier/

How Smaller ICs Might Impact on the Biological Our World

February 2013, http://www.i-micronews.com/reports/BIOMEMS/4/345/

Outline

What is bio-electronics?

Geometric scaling in bio-electronics

Similarities between ICs and bio-electronics

Applications for bio-electronics

Control of implants, drug delivery

Point-of-care diagnostics, including skin patches

Bionic eyes,

Exoskeleton

Food and other sensors

Challenges for Bio-electronics are similar to those for MEMS

Control of Implants and Artificially Implanted Tissues

Examples: Cochlear implants, retinal implants, implantable neural electrodes, muscle implants

Chips directly interact with organs to elicit the sensation of sound, sight, neurological functions, and muscle contractions, respectively.

Artificially generated electrical pulses must be engineered within context of physiological system and biological characteristics

This often requires new materials

The cardiac pacemaker and the cochlear implant.

Outline

What is bio-electronics?

Geometric scaling in bio-electronics

Similarities between ICs and bio-electronics

Applications for bio-electronics

Control of implants, drug delivery

Point-of-care diagnostics, including skin patches

Bionic eyes,

Exoskeleton

Food and other sensors

Challenges for Bio-electronics are similar to those for MEMS

Smart Pills: A New Form of Drug Delivery

Conventional methods

Injections

Pills

skin patches

The problem with conventional methods is they often affect both good and bad cells

Smart pill Pills that can administer drugs directly to specific places in a

person’s body

Smart Pills for Killing Cancer Cells (1)

Most cancer treatments kill healthy cells even as they try to kill cancer cells

Another approach is to use smart pills/nano-particles to kill cancer cells

Example: illumination from a white light within smart pill/nanoparticle kills the cancer cell

Example: cause tiny magnetic disks to vibrate violently when they are near the cancer cells. This is done by passing a small external magnetic field over them

Cameras embedded in the smart pill enable doctor to see inside

Source: http://www.slideshare.net/AsadAliSiyal/nanorobotics-nanotechnology-by-engr-asad-ali-siyal

Smart Pills for Killing Cancer Cells (2)

One problem with nano-particles (molecular cars) is that they have no engine

Mother Nature uses the molecular adenosine triphosphate has her energy source

Possible engines

A nano-rod can be moved with a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide

Embed nickel disks or antenna inside these nanorods. one can use an ordinary magnet or a radio transmitter from the outside of the body to steer a nanorod through the inside of a body

Outline

What is bio-electronics?

Geometric scaling in bio-electronics

Similarities between ICs and bio-electronics

Applications for bio-electronics

Control of implants, drug delivery

Point-of-care diagnostics, including skin patches

Bionic eyes,

Exoskeleton

Food and other sensors

Challenges for Bio-electronics are similar to those for MEMS

Applications in Laboratories and in Homes are Emerging as

Improvements are Made to Bio-Electronics

Labs:

Not Just Physicians End-users might be technicians, nurses or consumers

Very useful in rural areas where there are few doctors Share devices just like mobile phones are shared in some

rural areas

This might occur automatically; place bio-electronic ICs in toilet, bathroom mirror, and clothes

mirror may detect a disease such as cancer through the presence of a mutated protein called P53 (exists in 50% of cancer treatments)

Or place them in your body Or a skin patch on your body

It depends on how cheap these systems become……..

Source: Michio Kaku, Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily

Lives by the Year 2100 (2011)

Flexible Electronics/Skin Patches Many kinds of skin patches

But emergence of flexible displays is changing the field of skin patches Organic materials are revolutionizing displays (See Session

7) and ICs (organic ICs) for the displays (Session 4)

Thinner materials are more flexible than thicker materials

Adding a stretchy electronic mesh of islands that is connected by springy bridges (i.e., conformal electronics)

Conformal electronics can monitor bodily functions of athletes and others

deliver drugs

facilitate control of prosthetic devices

Enable “electronic” skin

http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2010/cs/b909902f#!divAbstract

Improvements in Mobility may Lead to Greater Use of Flexible Materials

Mo

bil

ity

cm

2 /V

s

Single Crystal Si Ribbon

Oxide Semiconductors

Amorphous Silicon

Organic Semiconductor

1995 2000 2005 2010

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

100

10

1000

Si Mono-Crystal

Si Poly-Crystal

2013

Year

Improvements in Flexibility

Improvements in flexibility, which includes both bendabiilty and stretchability, have come from thinner materials and a so-called island-bridge design.

Extreme Thinness Leads to Flexibility of Semiconductor Materials

Island-bridge design enables much higher levels of flexibility

build a stretchy mesh with electronics on thin islands connected by springy

bridges

print mesh onto thin plastic which holds the entire mesh together

Source: MT5016 group

presentation in 2012

build body-worn stickers which seamlessly measure our body activity

breathablewaterproof

yet

Source: MT5016

group

presentation in 2012

core technology deployed to allow conformal coupling to the human body

all on an ultrathin patch that mounts onto the skin like a temporary tattoo

digital health- moderate development cycle

- high growth potential

- white space opportunity

modular system with onboard sensing, processing, power and communication

Source:

MT5016 group

presentation in

2012

wireless connectivity

informed user

continuousdata

analysis

seamlesssensing

digital health- moderate development cycle

- high growth potential

- white space opportunity

Source: MT5016 group

presentation in 2012

Can Mobile Phones be Platform for Managing Data Phones have high-performance processors, memory, and

displays

Can send data wirelessly, without cables

Easy to develop and download apps

Can phones handle multiple diagnostics/diseases maybe with one bio-electronic IC, like microprocessor?

What about creating accessories/attachments test strips to analyze blood, skin, saliva; check for flu, insulin and

other sicknesses

microscope to analyze cells, electrodes for electro-cardigram

Others for ultrasound, MRI, etc.

Useful for athletes, sick people

http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21567208-medical-technology-

hand-held-diagnostic-devices-seen-star-trek-are-inspiring

How Far in the Future?

Qualcomm will give $10 million USD for first Star Trek

Tricorder. Improvements in bio-electronic ICs and other

technologies (e.g., fMRI – see later session) will probably

make this possible (http://gbmnews.com/wp/?p=254)

How far in the Future?From Skin Patches and Sensors to Artificial Skin

Science Vol 340, 7 June 2013, pp. 1162-1165

Outline

What is bio-electronics?

Geometric scaling in bio-electronics

Similarities between ICs and bio-electronics

Applications for bio-electronics

Control of implants, drug delivery

Point-of-care diagnostics, including skin patches

Bionic eyes

Exoskeleton

Food and other sensors

Challenges for Bio-electronics are similar to those for MEMS

MEMs and Bionic Eyes

MEMS playing an important role in improving eyesight of people who suffer from macula, a disease that affects the retina

Disease renders photoreceptors useless although the remaining parts of the eye such as the pupil, cornea, lens, iris, ganglion cells and optic nerve remain operative

About two million people suffer from this disease in the U.S. or about 0.5% of Americans

All of the components in a Bionic Eye are Experiencing

Rapid Improvements in Cost and Performance

Source: Biomaterials 29(24–25): 3393–3399

MEMS-BasedElectrode

Electrode Implanted Into Retina

MEMS-Based Electrodes for Bionic Eyes

Increases in the Number of Electrodes Leads to

Higher Performing Bionic Eyes

What is the Future of

Humans?How many technologies

will be incorporated into

our bodies?

Outline

What is bio-electronics?

Geometric scaling in bio-electronics

Similarities between ICs and bio-electronics

Applications for bio-electronics

Control of implants, drug delivery

Point-of-care diagnostics, including skin patches

Bionic eyes,

Exoskeleton

Food and other sensors

Challenges for Bio-electronics are similar to those for MEMS

Source: Cyberdyne Corporation, www.cyberdyne.jp

Examples of Exoskeletons

50

23 20 15

60

160

240

300

0

30

6070

1000

800

500

200

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

HAL-3(1999)

HAL-5(2005)

HAL-5(2008)

HAL-5 (2011)

Suit Weight (Kg)

Operating Time (mins)

Weight Lifting (kg)

Response Time (ms)

From better materials

From better batteries

From better materials

Right Axis: from better bio-electronic and conventional ICs

Improvements in HAL’s Exoskeleton Suits

Outline

What is bio-electronics?

Geometric scaling in bio-electronics

Similarities between ICs and bio-electronics

Applications for bio-electronics

Control of implants, drug delivery

Point-of-care diagnostics, including skin patches

Bionic eyes,

Exoskeleton

Food and other sensors

Challenges for Bio-electronics are similar to those for MEMS

Sensors for Food

Dates on packages are very rough

Food may spoil sooner or later than date

Causes food to be discarded too early or eaten when dangerous

Better sensors for food spoilage

Measure at various points in value chain including refrigerators and appliances

In combination with RFID tags, can help us identify points of food spoilage

Better sensors for factors related to food spoilage

E.g., temperature

Asthma and other Environmental Sensors Would you avoid places if you knew these places

caused problems to your health?

How about enabling people to build a map of asthma or other hot spots?

By using GPS and various sensors, users can build such maps

Outline

What is bio-electronics?

Geometric scaling in bio-electronics

Similarities between ICs and bio-electronics Applications for bio-electronics

Control of implants

Drug delivery

Point-of-care diagnostics, including skin patches

Bionic eyes

Exoskeleton

Sensors for food

Challenges for Bio-electronics are similar to those for MEMS

Like MEMS, development costs are very high for Bio-Electronic ICs so applications must have very high volumes

Integrated Circuits Bio-ElectronicICs

Materials Roughly the same for each application

Different for each application

Processes Roughly the same for each application (CMOS)

Different for each application

Equipment Roughly the same for each application

Different for each application

Masks Different for each application. But common solutions exist! Microprocessors, ASICs

Different for each application

Solutions?

Can we identify common materials, processes, equipment that can be used to make most bio-electronic ICs?

Using common materials, processes and equipment involve tradeoffs

Use sub-optimal ones for each application

But benefit overall from economies of scale; similar things occurred with silicon-based CMOS devices

One obvious option

Can we make Bio-Electronic ICs with materials, processes, and equipment used to fabricate CMOS ICs?

Or look for different materials, processes, equipment?

Conclusions and Relevant Questions for Your Group Projects (1)

Cost and performance of bio-electronics have experienced large improvements and still have a large potential for improvements

can potentially follow path similar to (or steeper than) Moore’s Law

thus can lead to changes in health care that are similar to changes in electronic systems from Moore’s Law

They have already enabled dramatic reductions in the cost of many types of medical products

point-of-care diagnostics

Sequencing, synthesizing equipment (covered next week)

Conclusions and Relevant Questions for Your Group Projects (2)

These improvements will probably continue

create new applications within diagnostic equipment, drug delivery, and chips embedded in clothing, body, etc.

Lead to greater use of bionic eyes, artificial organs, exoskeletons

What does this tell us about the future

Will Cyborg man become a reality?

These Examples

may Become

Common in the Near

Future

Conclusions and Relevant Questions (3)

One challenge is identifying a set of common materials, processes and equipment that can be used to make many types of Bio-electronics

What kind of progress is being made in this area?

What are the major types of materials, processes and equipment that are used in the fabrication of bio-electronic ICs?

Is a convergence occurring in the use of materials, processes, and equipment?

Appendix

How do bio-electronic chips work? (1) Bio-electron chips

Extract

Amplify (i.e., duplicate)

Detect various substances

They do so by sensing and analyzing

Charges, Elasticities

Forces, Pressures

After translating these parameters into voltages and currents, they are processed in the same way voltages and currents are processed on a standard IC chip

How do bio-electronic chips work? (2)

Most chips are designed to analyze a specific type of fluid and for a specific purpose

Combining functions on a single IC is currently very difficult

One reason is that different functions require different temperatures

But maybe we can control the heating of different parts of an IC chip?

EPC: Endothelial Progenitor Cells; PBMC: peripheral blood mononuclear cells

on the kind of artificial tubes to be used in patient