"FABRICATION AND APPLICATION OF TIO2-

BASED THIN FILM CAPACITIVE BIOSENSOR

FOR FRUIT FRESHNESS DETECTION"
- A Revolution in Food Quality
Analysis
 INTRODUCTION
Biosensors: Devices that detect biological
materials (like fruit freshness) through the
interaction with a chemical compound.

- According to IUPAC- Biosensor is an

independently integrated receptor transducer
device, which is capable of providing
selective quantitative or semi-quantitative
analytical information using a biological
recognition element .

--- providing rapid, real-time and reliable

information regarding the biomolecule under study.
Fig-working of biosensors
Importance:- Ensures food quality, extends shelf
life, and reduces wastage

Need:- Traditional methods are bulky, expensive,

and time-consuming.
OBJECTIVES
Goal: To develop a thin film based capacitive biosensor
for cost-effective, efficient fruit freshness detection.

Advantages:

Cost-effective: Reduces long-term costs of freshness

detection.
Low Power: Requires minimal energy, suitable for
portable applications.
High Speed: Rapid results for real-time quality checks.
 WORKING PRINCIPLE
• Principle - The proposed sensor works on the principle of dielectric modulation (DM).
• Dielectric Modulation (DM): A principle that uses changes in dielectric properties to detect varying freshness
levels.
• Microgap Cavities: Spaces that, when filled with fruit material, alter their dielectric properties and thus change
sensor capacitance.
• Interaction: As fruit rots, its dielectric properties change, altering sensor capacitance.

• Working –
• The fabricated TiO2-based thin film sensors are incorporated with microgap cavities which when embedded into
the fruit surface becomes sensitive to any dielectric (Єk) changes that occur in the fruit during the phase of rotting.
The sensors are hence based on the principle of dielectric modulation (DM).
• In the context of fruit freshness, as a fruit begins to rot or degrade, its dielectric properties change due to the
varying water content, decomposition of organic molecules, and changes in cellular structure. When the sensor is
embedded into the fruit's surface, the microgap cavities can detect these changes, providing information about the
freshness of the fruit.
• Dielectric modulation uses a microgap cavity for detecting biomolecules by observing the change in dielectric
constant (Єk). FESEM and TEM have been performed on the samples in order to visualize the surface changes in
the microgap cavity.
PROPOSED SENSOR MODEL
- This model uses a fixed-plate capacitive sensor.
- In such sensors the capacitive coupling changes as a result
of different materials placed near the plate.
- The capacitive plates are composed of silver - due to its
high electrical conductivity.
- The silicon dioxide (SiO2) layer acts as stable dielectric
material.
- A layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2) is sandwiched between
the SiO2 layers.
- Titanium dioxide is an n-type wide band gap
semiconductor that is chemically stable, inexpensive and
environment-friendly.
- The sensor's working principle is detailed here.
- TiO2 exhibits unique features of reversible change in - When inserted into fruit, the fruit's material fills the
conductivity, high sensitivity and biocompatibility, rendering microgap.
it suitable for bio-sensing applications. As the fruit rots, its dielectric constant changes, and this
- The microgap cavities are formed by removing a fixed change is measurable as a change in the sensor's capacitance.
length of the SiO2 layer.
- Let the length of the cavity – Lc and length of the SiO2 - As a result, a variation in capacitance is observed across the
layer – Ld plates of the capacitive biosensor structure
 MATHEMATCAL RELATIONS -
. The capacitive sensor is based on the theory of
electrical double layer. The electrical capacitance for
a parallel plate capacitor is expressed as:
C
= ε0εA/d - eqn 1

Here, capacitance (C) is dependent on the

permittivity of free space (Є0= (8.85 × 10−12 F/m),
dielectric constant of the material (Є), area of the
plates (A), and the thickness of the insulating
layer(d).

Figure 2 shows the equivalent capacitance of the

proposed sensor.
The capacitance across the cavity is expressed as Cbio while that
across the silicon dioxide is expressed as Cd.
"The equivalent capacitance of the capacitive sensor system is
expressed as, -
1/CT= 1/(Cbio + Cd)+1/(Cbio +Cd) - eqn 2 ,
then 1/CT= 2/(Cbio + Cd) - eqn3
∴CT ∝ Cbio ∝ εcavity - eqn 4

Equation (4) shows that the total capacitance, CT is directly

proportional to the capacitance of the cavity Cbio, which in turn is
directly proportional to the dielectric constant of the cavity, ɛcavity.
 MATERIAL AND FABRICATION
Materials:
• p-type Silicon wafer (orientation of the p-Si is <100> 0.5 mm thick, single side polished and resistivity 5 Ω cm) :- cleaned by
acid cleaning process to remove any contaminants.
• "Two wafer samples (L = 0.2 μm, Lc and Ld = 0.1 μm) A and B were cut with specified dimensions. Both were subjected to
dry-wet-dry oxidation process to grow a layer of silicon dioxide (SiO2) on their surfaces.
• Sensor Surface: SiO2 and TiO2 layers for detecting changes.
• On the opposite side of the wafer, silver metal was deposited by metallization.
• TiO2 (0.1 μm) was deposited by sol-gel method on sample A over the SiO2 layer.
• The two samples, A & B, are combined with their SiO2 layers touching.
• PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), a silicon-based organic polymer, is applied to improve adherence.
• To form the microgap cavities in the SiO2 layer, hydrofluoric acid (HF) is used.
• The sensor is coated with tape on three sides and etched on one side using HF.
• The silicon dioxide is partly etched in presence of HF creating the sensing cavities (0.1 μm).
• electrical contacts are established using a conductive silver paste.
• Metallic Contacts: Silver, Gold, and Palladium for enhanced sensitivity and conductivity.

Fabrication:
• Oxidation: Crafting the SiO2 layer on the wafer.
• Deposition: Adding the TiO2 layer and metallic contacts.
• Etching: Creating the vital microgap cavities.
 EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
• Test Subjects: Fresh samples of apple,
orange, and guava.

• Procedure: Monitor capacitance changes

over 10 days, recording every 24 hours.

• Measurement Tool: Digital Multimeter for

precise capacitance values.
 SURFACE MORPHOLOGY
• Techniques:
• FESEM: High-resolution imaging of sensor's surface.
• AFM: 3D topographic representation of surface.

• Findings:
• Observable remnants of fruit pulp.
• Cavity edges and deposition patterns evident.
• Image: High-resolution images or schematic
representations from FESEM/AFM.

Fig- FESEM & AFM Cavity image of Biosensors

 RESULTS
• Capacitance Change: As fruits rot, a decrease in
capacitance observed.
• Comparison:
• Apple, Orange, and Guava showed varying
capacitance trends.
• A correlation between fruit freshness and capacitance
was evident.
• Image: Graph depicting capacitance vs. days for each
fruit.

Fig - Capacitance versus maximum days plot

GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION

Fig - Stability plot for fabricated devices

 CONCLUSION
• Recap: The TiO2-based capacitive biosensor provides a promising solution for fruit freshness detection.

• Future Outlook: Portable, affordable sensors could replace traditional bulky equipment, ensuring higher food
quality standards.
THANK YOU
Shivam​
shivam77516@gmail.com
7488829138
 **Substrate Material**:
• - **Alternative to Silicon Wafer**: Instead of silicon wafers, using **glass slides, Paper , plastic substrates.
**Dielectric & Sensing Layer**:
• - **Alternative to TiO2**: **zinc oxide (ZnO), Graphene and Graphene Oxide**
• - **Alternative to SiO2**: Polyimide , Al2O3 , or other polymers could be considered. They can be spin-coated
onto substrates, providing a dielectric layer.
**Electrodes**:
• - **Alternative to Silver**: Aluminum or copper can be used as electrode materials instead of silver.
**Microgap Cavity Creation**:
• - Instead of sophisticated etching techniques, you could explore manual chemical etching or physical methods
(like manual drilling) to create the microgap, though precision might be sacrificed.
• 1. **Substrate Preparation and Cleaning**: Acid cleaning process.
• - **Alternative**: Soak the substrate in a mixture of distilled water, hydrogen peroxide,
• 2. **Oxidation to form Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)** = Dry-wet-dry oxidation in a furnace.
• - **Alternative**: Rapid
• 3. **Deposition of TiO2 - : Sol-gel method.
• - **Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)
• 4. **Deposition of Silver**:- **Alternative**:
• - **Electroplating or Electroless Plating**: It's a wet process and can be a cheaper alternative, especially for thicker
layers.
• 5. **Microgap Cavity Creation**:
• - **Original**: Etching using HF.
• - **Alternative**:
• - **Wet Chemical Etching**: Using a different etchant like potassium hydroxide (KOH) or tetramethylammonium
hydroxide (TMAH).
• - **Dry Etching**: Using methods like Reactive Ion Etching (RIE), but this can be more complex and expensive.
• - **Laser Ablation**: Using focused laser beams to remove material and create the cavity, suitable for larger
cavities.
• 7. **Formation of Contact Points**: Silver paste.
• - **Alternative**:
• - **Wire-bonding**: It's a method where thin wires are connected to the substrate to form contact points.
• - **Soldering**: For a more hands-on, less precise method.