Juliana CHAWICH : "ZnO/GaAs based acoustic waves microsensor for the detection of bacteria in complex liquid media"

PhD Works of Juliana Chewich : "ZnO/GaAs based acoustic waves microsensor for the detection of bacteria in complex liquid media"

Abstract : This thesis addresses the development of a miniaturized biosensor for the detection and quantification of bacteria in complex liquid media. The targeted bacteria is Escherichia coli (E. coli), regularly implicated in outbreaks of foodborne infections, and sometimes fatal. The geometry of the biosensor consists of a gallium arsenide (GaAs) membrane on which is deposited a piezoelectric thin film of zinc oxide (ZnO). A pair of electrodes deposited on the ZnO film allows the generation of an acoustic wave propagating in GaAs under a sinusoidal voltage, at a given frequency. The backside of the membrane is functionalized with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of alkanethiols and antibodies anti-E. coli, providing the specificity of the detection. The research work has partly focused on the deposition and characterization of piezoelectric ZnO thin films on GaAs substrates.

Evaluation Committee : 

Pr. Paul G. CHARETTE, Full Professor, Université de Sherbrooke (Reporter)
Dr. Stéphane DURAND, Full Professor HDR, Université du Maine (Reporter)
Dr. Vincent HUMBLOT, CNRS Researcher, Sorbonne Université (Reporter)
Pr. Nicolas MARTIN, Professor, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et des Microtechniques (Reviewer)
Dr. Simon LÉVESQUE, Associate Professor, Université de Sherbrooke (Reviewer)
Pr. Andrzej LASIA, Professor, Université de Sherbrooke (Guest)
Dr. Céline ÉLIE-CAILLE, Full Professor HDR, Université de Franche-Comté (Co-superviser)
Pr. Jan J. DUBOWSKI, Full  Professor, Université de Sherbrooke (Co-directeur)
Pr. Thérèse LEBLOIS, Full Professor, Université de Franche-Comté (Co-directrice)

Localization : Ampithéâtre J-J Gagnepain, Bâtiment TEMIS, 15B, Avenue des Montboucons, Besançon