Development and bio-imaging applications of a chemical imaging sensor

A chemical imaging sensor is a field-effect-based semiconductor sensor, capable of label-free imaging of ion distributions in a solution. The sensor has attracted much interest owing to its simple structure and diverse fields of application of bioimaging. In this article, the principle and development of the chemical imaging sensor are summarized, compared with those of other labelfree imaging sensors. Bio-imaging applications of the chemical imaging sensor to ion diffusion, enzymatic reaction, and metabolic activities of microorganisms are also reviewed.