Abstract
We have performed in situ real time mass sensing of deposited liquid volatile droplets and sprays using plate-like microstructures, with robust and reusable performance attained over harsh conditions and multiple cycles of operation. A home-built electrooptical sensing system in ambient conditions has been used. The bimorph effect on the resonant frequency of altered mass loading, elasticity, and strain had been carefully compared, and the latter were found to be negligible in the presence of nonviscous liquids deposited on top of our microplate devices. In resonant mode, the loaded mass has been estimated from measured resonant frequency shifts and interpreted from a simple, uniformly deposited film model. A minimum submicrogram detectable mass was estimated, suggesting the system’s potential for robust, fast, and reusable sensing capabilities, in the presence of volatile liquids under harsh operation conditions.
Highlights
On in micromachine miniaturization, as silicon-based flexural elements were shrinking, their potential as excellent mass sensors has been recognized [1]
Resonators based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) have been proven as excellent platforms for material spectroscopy in a wide range of sensing applications, including solid [2,3,4,5], gas [6,7,8,9,10], and biochemical fluid composition [11, 12], with unprecedented potential for large-scale integration of multiplexed sensors in small monolithic packages [13]
NEMS and MEMS resonators are driven through closed-gap configuration, and sensing in the gas or liquid phase is limited to clean surface preparation procedures, set by limitations related to stiction, viscous drag, and squeezed-film damping [7, 10,11,12, 16]
Summary
On in micromachine miniaturization, as silicon-based flexural elements were shrinking, their potential as excellent mass sensors has been recognized [1]. Resonators based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) have been proven as excellent platforms for material spectroscopy in a wide range of sensing applications, including solid [2,3,4,5], gas [6,7,8,9,10], and biochemical fluid composition [11, 12], with unprecedented potential for large-scale integration of multiplexed sensors in small monolithic packages [13]. In realistic sensing scenarios nanoscale mechanical elements are still fragile in the out-of-lab tests [16], and microscale devices are widely dominant for durably functioning mechanical sensors in applications. Durable operation under harsh environmental conditions is an important ongoing goal for realistic integrated MEMS/NEMS sensors
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