Windowed Sequencing

Abstract

In one implementation, a method is described. The method includes determining an operational characteristic of sensors of a sensor array. The method further includes selecting a group of sensors in the array based on the operational characteristic of sensors in the group. The method further includes enabling readout of the sensors in the selected group. The method further includes receiving output signals from the enabled sensors, the output signals indicating chemical reactions occurring proximate to the sensors of the sensor array.

1 . A method comprising:
 determining an operational characteristic of sensors of a sensor array;   selecting a group of sensors in the array based on the operational characteristic of sensors in the group;   enabling readout of the sensors in the selected group; and   receiving output signals from the enabled sensors, the output signals indicating chemical reactions occurring proximate to the sensors of the sensor array.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operational characteristic of sensors of a sensor array is selected from the group of a bead loading quality of the sensors of the sensor array, a noise spectrum of the sensors of the sensor array, and a threshold voltage value of the sensors of the sensor array. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein readout of remaining sensors of the sensor array is bypassed. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selecting a group of sensors in the array is based on more than one operational characteristic of sensors in the group. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sensors in the sensor array include chemically-sensitive field effect transistors. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the chemically-sensitive field effect transistors are arranged in rows and columns and the selecting includes selecting contiguous rows of chemically-sensitive field effect transistors in the sensor array. 
     
     
         7 . The chemical sensor of  claim 1 , wherein the output signals further indicate an ion concentration due to sequencing reactions occurring proximate to the chemically-sensitive field effect transistors. 
     
     
         8 . The chemical sensor of  claim 1 , wherein the output signals are analog signals and the method further includes converting the output signals into digital signals and the receiving output signals further includes receiving the converted digital signals. 
     
     
         9 . A method for nucleic acid sequencing, comprising:
 providing template nucleic acids to at least some of a plurality of locations coupled to sensors of an array;   analyzing output signals of the sensors of the array to identify which locations in the plurality of locations contain the disposed template nucleic acids;   selecting a group of sensors coupled to identified locations containing the disposed template nucleic acids;   introducing known nucleotides within at least some of the plurality of locations; and   measuring the output signals of the selected sensors to detect sequencing reaction byproducts resulting from incorporation of the introduced known nucleotides into one of more primers hybridized to at least one of the disposed template nucleic acids.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising enabling readout of the sensors in the selected group, and bypassing readout of remaining sensors of the sensor array. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the sequencing reaction byproducts comprise hydrogen ions. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the sequencing reaction byproducts resulting from incorporation are of c chemically similar hemically similar composition for each of the known nucleotides. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising determining at least a portion of sequences of at least a portion of the template nucleic acids based on the introduced known nucleotides and further based on the measured output signals. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the sensors comprise field-effect transistors having a chemically sensitive portion responsive to the sequencing reaction byproducts and disposed in proximity to the locations such that the at least one of the sequencing reaction byproducts diffuse or contact the sensors to thereby be detected. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the chemically sensitive portion of the field-effect transistors of the array is responsive to a plurality of different sequencing reaction byproducts. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the locations are within respective reaction chambers. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the measured output signals are analog signals and the method further includes converting the output signals into digital signals and the receiving output signals further includes receiving the converted digital signals.