Fabrication of Electrochemical Sensor with Tunable Electrode Distance

We present an air bridge type electrode system with tunable electrode distance for detecting electroactive biomolecules. It is known that the narrower gap between electrode fingers, the higher sensitivity in IDA (interdigitated array) electrode. In previous researches on IDA electrode, narrower patterning required much precise and expensive equipment as the gap goes down to nanometer scale. In this paper, an improved method is suggested to replace nano gap pattering with downsizing electrode distance and showed that the patterning can be replaced by thickness control using metal deposition methods, such as electroplating or metal sputtering. The air bridge type electrode was completed by the following procedures: gold patterning for lower electrode, copper electroplating, gold deposition for upper electrode, photoresist patterning for gold film support, and copper etching for space formation. The thickness of copper electroplating is the distance between upper and lower electrodes. Because the growth rate of electroplating is $0.5{\mu}m\;min^{-1}$, the distance is tunable up to hundreds of nanometers. Completed electrodes on the same wafer had $5{\mu}m$ electrode distance. The gaps between fingers are 10, 20, 30, and $40{\mu}m$ and the widths of fingers are 10, 20, 30, 40, and $50{\mu}m$. The air bridge type electrode system showed better sensitivity than planar electrode.