11.06.2025

The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) has achieved a new milestone in chemical liquid analysis by significantly miniaturizing the electronics required to operate ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs). Alongside the reduction in size, the power consumption has also been minimized, making the system suitable for portable pH measurement and long-term monitoring.

Image: A compact ISFET evaluation system, with a sensor immersed in a liquid-filled beaker; Copyright: Fraunhofer IPMS

The compact ISFET-based pH measuring system from Fraunhofer IPMS features ultra-low power electronics and a miniaturized sensor, making it suitable for portable and embedded use cases.

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The key features are:

Power consumption of the sensor system: just 190 µW

Total system power with control electronics: less than 1.3 mW

USB-C compatible digital version (approx. 100 mW) for on-site calibration

Analog version for continuous low-power operation

Dr. Olaf R. Hild, Head of the Chemical Sensors business unit at Fraunhofer IPMS, explains: “After almost one year of development, we have succeeded in controlling our Nb2O5-ISFETs to measure continuously with a power consumption of less than 1.3 mW including electronics.”

Versatile applications in medicine and environment

The low energy consumption and compact size make the system ideal for:

Long-term analysis of body fluids

Wearable and mobile diagnostics

Continuous water quality monitoring

Environmental pH analysis

“The next goal is even smaller ISFET chips (< 1mm2) in order to be able to address size-limited applications. Our cleanroom is perfectly well equipped for this challenge,” adds technologist Falah Al-Falahi.

Easy calibration and long-term accuracy

“As the Fraunhofer IPMS ISFETs are of extremely low-drift and exhibit almost perfect Nernst dependence, a single-point calibration is adequate for the vast majority of applications,” says electronics developer Hans-Georg Dallmann.

COMPAMED-tradefair.com; Source: Fraunhofer-Institut für Photonische Mikrosysteme (IPMS)

More about the Fraunhofer IPMS at: www.ipms.fraunhofer.de/en