Development of Packed Column for Surface Acoustic Wave Gas Chromatograph Using Anodically Bonded Silicon–Glass Structure with a Compression Jacket

Abstract

Gas or liquid chromatographs (GC/LCs) are frequently used for multiple-compound sensing, but they are too large and heavy to be portable. To provide a handy GC/LC, many groups have proposed micro GC/LCs in which large columns are replaced by small micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) columns. However, because of the high packing pressure, a packed MEMS column using an anodically bonded structure has not been realized so far. In this study, we realized such a MEMS column for the first time by introducing a compression jacket to reduce the tensile stress at the silicon–glass boundary. Consequently we succeeded in the separation and detection of lower hydrocarbons using a ball surface acoustic wave sensor.