Résumé
A biosensor ultimately converts the biological information into a quantitatively measurable signal, usually in the form of optical, acoustic, electrical, or magnetic responses. The use of high-sensitivity semiconductor materials such as that of nitrides can considerably enhance biosensing performances. For example, InN has proven robust surface properties and unusually strong surface electron accumulation, and GaN reveals outstanding chemical stability and is transparent, enabling easy optical readout, rendering nitrides very promising substrates for biological detection. In terms of interfacing them with biological materials, nitrides also present the advantage of a relatively easy functionalization due to their affinity for various organic linkers. Moreover, their nanostructured design makes them ideal candidates for the development of miniaturized biosensors with very low requirements in terms of volume of biological material.