Cellular Signal Detection by Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Photosensitive Chip with Electroexcitation

Journal article

Based on the photoconductive effect of photosensitive films, a designed light pattern was projected onto a hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) photosensitive chip to generate virtual light-induced electrodes for cellular electrical detection. To obtain high-quality cellular signals, this study aims to explore the effect of electrical excitation on a-Si:H photosensitive chip. Firstly, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and volt-ampere characteristics of the a-Si:H photosensitive chip were characterized. EIS data were fitted to extract equivalent circuit models (ECMs) for both the chip and system. Then analog experiments were performed to verify the ECMs, and the results were consistent with the circuit simulation. Finally, applied alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) signals to the chip and recorded the electrical signals of the cultured cardiomyocytes on the a-Si:H photosensitive chip. The results demonstrated that applying a high-frequency small AC signal to the chip reduced the background noise of the system by approximately 85.1%, and applying a DC bias increased the amplitude of the detection signal by approximately 142.7%. Consequently, the detection performance of the a-Si:H photosensitive chip for weak bioelectrical signals was significantly enhanced, advancing its applicability in cellular electrophysiological studies.

Authors: Hou, F; Dong, J; Wang, X; Deng, Q; Crabbe, MJC

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: MDPI
• Journal: Sensors
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 17
• Article number: 5255
• Publication date: 2025-08-23
• Acceptance date: 2025-08-20
• DOI: 10.3390/s25175255
• EISSN: 1424-8220
• ISSN: 1424-8220
• Language: English
• Keywords: cellular electrical detection; a-Si:H photosensitive chip; cell–material interface; light-induced electrode