On-chip biosensors with nanometer scale glass-like carbon electrodes and improved adhesive coupling

1. A method of forming a biosensing integrated circuit (IC), the method comprising:

forming a plurality of semiconductor substrate layers;

forming a sensor element over a first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers;

configuring the sensor element to, based at least in part on the sensor element interacting with a predetermined material, generate data representing a measurable electrical parameter;

forming an adhesion enhancement region; and

configuring the adhesion enhancement region to physically couple the sensor element to the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers;

wherein the adhesion enhancement region comprises a protrusion configured to extend laterally with respect to a major surface of the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers; and

wherein the protrusion is further configured to extend laterally into a groove formed in a locking region of the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

forming an electrically conductive interconnect network;

forming computing elements over a second one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers; and

configuring the electrically conductive interconnect network to communicatively couple the data representing the measurable electrical parameter to computer elements.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

forming a plurality of the sensor elements over the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers, wherein the sensor element comprises a first one of the plurality of sensor elements;

configuring the first one of the plurality of sensor elements to, based at least in part on the first one of the plurality of sensor elements interacting with a first predetermined material, generate first data representing a first measurable electrical parameter;

configuring a second one of the plurality of sensor elements to, based at least in part on the second one of the plurality of sensor elements interacting with a second predetermined material, generate second data representing a second measurable electrical parameter;

configuring the electrically conductive interconnect network and the computing elements to couple the first data and the second data to the computing elements separately;

configuring the computing elements to:

associate the first data to the first one of the plurality of sensors;

analyze the first data separately from the second data;

associate the second data to the second one of the plurality of sensors; and

analyze the second data separately from the first data.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein:

the sensor element comprises an electrode body;

the electrode body comprises at least one pillar;

the at least one pillar comprises a glass-like carbon material;

the at least one pillar comprises a height dimension comprising less than about 10 microns; and

the at least one pillar further comprises a width dimension comprising less than about 1 microns.

5. A method of forming a biosensing integrated circuit (IC), the method comprising:

forming a plurality of semiconductor substrate layers;

forming a sensor element over a first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers;

configuring the sensor element to, based at least in part on the sensor element interacting with a predetermined material, generate data representing a measurable electrical parameter;

forming an adhesion enhancement region; and

configuring the adhesion enhancement region to physically couple the sensor element to the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers;

wherein the sensor element comprises an electrode body;

wherein the electrode body comprises at least one pillar;

wherein the at least one pillar comprises a glass-like carbon material; and

wherein forming the sensor element comprises:

forming over the adhesion enhancement region an organic polymer layer (OPL) comprising a phenol polymer material;

separately from a fabrication of a second one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers, converting the OPL to a layer of the glass-like carbon material by annealing the OPL at a temperature above about 900 Celsius degrees; and

removing portions of the layer of the glass-like carbon material to form the at least one pillar.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:

the first one of the plurality of semiconductor layers comprises a silicon material; and

the adhesion enhancement region comprises an adhesion enhancement material selected from the group consisting of a silicon carbide and a plasma carbon.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the adhesion enhancement region comprises an adhesion enhancement material comprising:

a first adhesion enhancement material component configured to physically couple to the sensor element; and

a second adhesion enhancement material component configured to physically couple to the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein:

the adhesion enhancement region comprises a protrusion configured to extend laterally with respect to a major surface of the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers; and

the protrusion is further configured to extend laterally into a groove formed in a locking region of the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein:

the electrically conductive interconnect network comprises a first conductive pad and a first interconnect wire layer that communicatively couples the first conductive pad to the sensor element; and

the method further comprises forming the first conductive pad and the first interconnect wire layer prior to forming the sensor element over the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers.

10. A method of using a biosensing integrated circuit (IC), the method comprising:

accessing a sample of fluid;

exposing the sample of fluid to a sensor element of the IC;

wherein the IC comprises:

a plurality of semiconductor substrate layers;

the sensor element formed over a first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers, wherein the sensor element is configured to, based at least in part on the sensor element interacting with a predetermined material, generate data representing a measurable electrical parameter; and

an adhesion enhancement region configured to physically couple the sensor element to the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers;

wherein the adhesion enhancement region comprises a protrusion configured to extend laterally with respect to a major surface of the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers; and

wherein a second adhesion enhancement material component configured to physically couple to the first one of the plurality of semiconductor substrate layers.