In vitro bio-functionality of gallium nitride sensors for radiation biophysics.

There is an increasing interest in the integration of hybrid bio-semiconductor systems for the non-invasive evaluation of physiological parameters. High quality gallium nitride and its alloys show promising characteristics to monitor cellular parameters. Nevertheless, such applications not only request appropriate sensing capabilities but also the biocompatibility and especially the biofunctionality of materials. Here we show extensive biocompatibility studies of gallium nitride and, for the first time, a biofunctionality assay using ionizing radiation. Analytical sensor devices are used in medical settings, as well as for cell- and tissue engineering. Within these fields, semiconductor devices have increasingly been applied for online biosensing on a cellular and tissue level. Integration of advanced materials such as gallium nitride into these systems has the potential to increase the range of applicability for a multitude of test devices and greatly enhance sensitivity and functionality. However, for such applications it is necessary to optimize cell-surface interactions and to verify the biocompatibility of the semiconductor. In this work, we present studies of mouse fibroblast cell activity grown on gallium nitride surfaces after applying external noxa. Cell-semiconductor hybrids were irradiated with X-rays at air kerma doses up to 250 mGy and the DNA repair dynamics, cell proliferation, and cell growth dynamics of adherent cells were compared to control samples. The impact of ionizing radiation on DNA, along with the associated cellular repair mechanisms, is well characterized and serves as a reference tool for evaluation of substrate effects. The results indicate that gallium nitride does not require specific surface treatments to ensure biocompatibility and suggest that cell signaling is not affected by micro-environmental alterations arising from gallium nitride-cell interactions. The observation that gallium nitride provides no bio-functional influence on the cellular environment confirms that this material is well suited for future biosensing applications without the need for additional chemical surface modification.

Development and evaluation of gallium nitride-based thin films for x-ray dosimetry.

X-ray radiation plays an important role in medical procedures ranging from diagnostics to therapeutics. Due to the harm such ionizing radiation can cause, it has become common practice to closely monitor the dosages received by patients. To this end, precise online dosimeters have been developed with the dual objectives of monitoring radiation in the region of interest and improving therapeutic methods. In this work, we evaluate GaN thin film high electron mobility heterostructures with sub-mm(2) detection areas as x-ray radiation detectors. Devices were tested using 40-300 kV Bremsstrahlung x-ray sources. We find that the photoconductive device response exhibits a large gain, is almost independent of the angle of irradiation, and is constant to within 2% of the signal throughout this medical diagnostic x-ray range, indicating that these sensors do not require recalibration for geometry or energy. Furthermore, the devices show a high sensitivity to x-ray intensity and can measure in the air kerma rate (free-in-air) range of 1 µGy s(-1) to 10 mGy s(-1) with a signal stability of ±1% and a linear total dose response over time. Medical conditions were simulated by measurements of device responses to irradiation through human torso phantoms. Direct x-ray imaging is demonstrated using the index finger and wrist sections of a human phantom. The results presented here indicate that GaN-based thin film devices exhibit a wide range of properties, which make them promising candidates for dosimetry applications. In addition, with potential detection volumes smaller than 10(-6) cm(3), they are well suited for high-resolution x-ray imaging. Moreover, with additional engineering steps, these devices can be adapted to potentially provide both in vivo biosensing and x-ray dosimetry.