ChipSensors, a fabless semiconductor start-up company, has unveiled a breakthrough in semiconductor technology that enables the surface of the chip itself to sense parameters such as temperature, humidity, as well as certain gases and pathogens. The patent-pending technology exploits the fact that the dielectric material in standard sub-micron CMOS comprises porous oxides and polymers; by selectively admitting or blocking ingress of the agent to be sensed, any resulting changes in electrical characteristics can be accurately detected and measured. The company implemented a 0.13µm single-chip temperature- and humidity-sensor prototype that communicates via an off-chip wireless link to a laptop PC displaying real-time measurements. The chip could offer an all-electronic replacement for the type of electromechanical thermostats and hygrometers used in building management and environmental monitoring systems. ChipSensors is also currently developing an ultra-low-power wireless version of this sensor, which integrates all the signal-conditioning, microcontroller, memory and RF-transceiver functions onto the same chip as the sensor itself, for incorporation into passive and active ID tags.