Laser-assisted Sensor Integration for Life-Science Applications

In the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare, precision, speed, and personalization are paramount. Silicon (Si) sensors can bring transformative tools that support medical applications. Their unique ability to detect, measure, and respond to biological signals with high sensitivity and reliability makes them ideal for a wide range of healthcare solutions—from early diagnostics to targeted therapeutic interventions.

Fluidic sensors for life-science applications are sensitive to surface quality for both fluidic performance as well as for anchoring of biomaterials. Surface cleanliness is of utmost importance for bio-compatibility reasons and surface tension and surface topography are preferably tunable to engineer application-dependent optimal conditions. While many CMOS-based process steps such as wet and dry etching, plasma treatments, physical and chemical vapour deposition steps are typically applied for surface modifications of the sensor active area, laser treatments are lesser used and may reveal novel functions. One potential advantage of lasers is their focus functionality which allows the activation of enclosed surfaces. Furthermore, by modifying wavelength, power and pulse frequency, and by selecting the appropriate surface materials, it is also believed to provide substrate bonding capabilities that allow the formation of closed/packaged sensors at lower temperatures than for typical thermal bonding (fusion, adhesive and welding) processes.